


Continuum Interrupted

by remerkaba (morcades)



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-29
Updated: 2013-12-26
Packaged: 2017-10-26 16:18:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 94,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/285348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morcades/pseuds/remerkaba
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU Stargate Story with major spoilers for Stargate Continuum. When Jack O'Neill is assigned to evaluate the threat Colonel Samantha Carter poses to his world he gets caught up in more then he could ever have imagined. Sam/Jack</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1 Babysitting Duty

**Author's Note:**

> AN: I am a long time Jack O'Neill fan and was disappointed that he wasn't in Continuum more so this is my answer... I decided to write him in. I intend to keep this a rated for Older Kids, but if things get out of hand and Jack or Sam decide to up the rating a bit I will post a warning letting everyone know the rating has changed.  
> This was my first attempt at writing fan fiction. I wouldn't have posted without the help of my amazing beta Gategirl7 over at FFdotnet. Her editing skills and patience with all the brainstorming and questions is awesome. Thank you! Any mistakes remaining are mine alone. I would love to hear what everyone thinks of my efforts so drop me a review if you've got time. Thank you for reading!

**AN:** I am a long time Jack O'Neill fan and was disappointed that he wasn't in Continuum more so this is my answer... I decided to write him in. I intend to keep this a rated for Older Kids, but if things get out of hand and Jack or Sam decide to up the rating a bit I will post a warning letting everyone know the rating has changed.  
This was my first attempt at writing fan fiction. I wouldn't have posted without the help of my amazing beta Gategirl7 over at FFdotnet. Her editing skills and patience with all the brainstorming and questions is awesome. Thank you! Any mistakes remaining are mine alone. I would love to hear what everyone thinks of my efforts so drop me a review if you've got time. Thank you for reading!

 

 

 

   **Chapter 1 – Babysitting Duties**  

 

 

 

Jack O’Neill held himself in his seat by sheer force of will.  He wanted, no he needed, to convince his commanding officer that this assignment was a bad idea.  He knew it was a bad idea.  His gut was telling him not to touch it with a 10 foot pole and hadn’t his gut kept him alive this long?

“General Hammond,” Jack tried again searching for a new tactic.  “I am the last person that should be assigned to this woman.  She probably heard me call them all nut cases and besides I’m a lousy baby sitter for crying out loud.”  He watched his commanding officer take an almost visible hold of his patience and reorder his thoughts.  This was not going to go his way.

“I understand your concerns Colonel, but Washington disagrees and in this case I think they’re right.”  Jack opened his mouth to cut the General off, but the look he received quieted him.  No.  This was not going well.  “You’ve been extensively briefed on alternate timelines, the Stargate and the circumstances that brought us all to having this discussion.  You’ve read the reports Jack.  In Colonel Carter’s reality you were her commanding office in a front line combat unit for 10 years.  Whether we understand this thing about multiple universes, changing timelines or whatever the correct term is, we have too much evidence not to believe the story these three have been telling us.  We’ve kept them isolated for three weeks, questioned them, hell we have done everything but pump them with truth inducing drugs.  They are telling some form of the truth.”  The General finished, his voice betraying his frustrations. 

“The question is how much of the truth are they leaving out.”  Jack finished the general’s thought.  He let out a sign and acknowledged that he was out gunned this time.  There would be no getting out of this assignment.  “You think I can use the bond that she and” Jack’s fingers were doing the air quotes before he could stop himself from performing the physical cliché “other me probably formed during all of those life-or-death situations to find out what the truth is.  Come on General, this has disaster written all over it.”

The General snorted his amusement, but didn’t otherwise acknowledge Jack’s last statement before he continued.  “Samantha Carter is brilliant according to the other two.  This woman seems to be God’s gift to their Stargate program.  She leaves the most brilliant of our scientists scratching their heads when they try to talk to her.  Her team mates talked at length about the fact that if she was given half a chance she could fix our timeline.  I’m not sure about you, but I don’t think any of us want our timeline changed.  Right now, knowledge wise they hold the cards, especially Colonel Carter.” Hammond stated, sitting back in his chair confident that he had made his point.  “We have assigned handlers to the other two as well, but we don’t think there is anything else they can do without her help.”  Hammond leaned forward and met the younger officer’s eyes.  “I’m sorry.  I wouldn’t feel comfortable in this situation either.  I’m sure you’d rather do just about anything, but it’s our best shot.” He’d do whatever was necessary to ensure that these wackos did not have the chance to create a world where his son died of a gunshot from Jack’s own gun.

 

***

 

 Colonel Samantha Carter folded her hands on the table and tried to relax into the meditative state that Teal’c had tried many times to teach her.  She was trying not to think of Jack’s death.  She wanted to do her grieving privately.  That is if she was ever given any private space to do any thinking.  She had been in the military long enough to know that they were trying to keep her off balance.  After weeks of questioning, little privacy, bad food and sterile conditions it was working.  Her nerves were shot.  Today she had been told that she would have no further contact with her team mates, ever.  She was forbidden to seek employment in any field that would interest her, but on the bright side she thought sarcastically, the Air Force would provide her with an allowance.  She could be comfortably useless and bored for the rest of her life in sunny Florida of all places. 

“Well that is until Ba’al decides to show his face and blow our collective asses off the face of the planet.”  she told the empty room.  It was sad that she was taking comfort from the fact that the bad guys hardly ever let you down she decided.  She had become as cynical as Jack.  Hard as Sam tried she couldn’t keep her mind from showing her the picture of Jack’s pale face as his life slipped away from him on that god forsaken planet where Ba’al’s life was supposed to end, not Jack’s.  She would never be able to erase those last moments from her memory, not until she could erase this messed up timeline that Ba’al had somehow engineered. 

“You’d think a cliché, over the top super villain bent on world domination would have a better name then Ba’al.”  The familiar voice along with the familiar words jolted Sam out of her thoughts and drained the blood from her face as quickly as it sent her heart racing.

“Jack.” She couldn’t keep herself from surging to her feet.  For a moment she drank in the site of the beloved face before the coldness in his eyes reminded her with a painful jolt that this wasn’t her Jack.  “I’m sorry Colonel.”  She corrected, forcing herself to take her seat again.  She pressed her hands carefully down on the table top to stop them from shaking.  “You surprised me.”  She hadn’t seen him since the day they’d been picked up by the sub.  She had never expected to see him again.

“I can see that.”  He surprised her by smiling casually.  Sam frowned; he was doing his diplomatic ‘I want you to think I am happy to be talking to you’ charming act.  She’d seen that look aimed at various people that Jack needed something from over the years, but never at her.  He had a whole other look for when he was trying to wheedle something out of someone that he cared about.  This Jack O’Neill viewed her as nothing more then a means to an end.  As the hurt and loneliness took her breath away she had to remind herself that this wasn’t her Jack.  He didn’t know her. 

Sam forced herself to take in his look, his body language.  Ok, so this Jack O’Neill was here because he wanted something from her.  What?  Her mind identified the problem and started calculating the possible answers.  His eyes were intense and he wasn’t fidgeting, his hands were still, his body alert.  She had his full attention, but not in the way that she was used to.  She had his attention like someone new he was meeting as they stepped through the gate.  Was he doing a risk evaluation on her?  “Its ok, Samantha,” he ventured.  “We’re both the same rank and we’re not in the same command, you can call me Jack.” 

“Sam.” She corrected quickly, his casual use of her full name pulling her momentarily back to him.  It had taken her and her Jack years to get to the point where they were not in the same chain of command and could explore their feelings.  Samantha was the name that her Jack called her in his low sexy voice when he wanted to make sure that she knew he was talking to the woman and not the Air Force officer.  It was his alone and it never failed to speed up her heart.  Hearing that name coming from the cold eyed stranger wearing Jack’s face was like a physical blow.

“Sam,” he agreed still projecting a friendliness that she knew would have fooled anyone that didn’t know Jack O’Neill so well.  “I’m here to take you to your new home.  The brass decided to assign someone familiar to each of you as your liaisons.  You get me.”  Sam watched O’Neill’s eyes.  O’Neill would be her name for this Jack she decided.  She’d never thought of her Jack as ‘O’Neill’ so that name would work just fine for this man.  His smile never reached his eyes.  He was watching her for a reaction.  He was not just evaluating her, he was playing her and she pretty sure she knew why. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jack waited expectantly to see how Sam Carter would react to his statement. He thought the cover story was a little thin himself. The others had been given strangers as handlers and were already settled into their new lives nearly a week ago. Colonel Carter's move into her new world had been delayed while the general put the screws to him trying to convince him that this whole idea was a good one. "So I still say Ba'al is a poor name for a bad guy. I mean Basket Ball, Bocce Ball; it just doesn't instill the overwhelming terror you would think that a guy capable of destroying the whole world would be going for." He didn't like the look in her eye. He felt like he was a math problem she was trying to figure out.

Jack had read her file. Soldier, scientist, Colonel Samantha Carter was not someone to be taken lightly. But he was good at his job and he never gave anything he didn't want to away, so he wasn't that concerned that she would see through him. He was being charming and friendly without being overly so.

He waited for her to say something. She seemed to be considering him before she spoke. "So they think that we're still lying outright or at very least holding something back and I'm the weak link. Daniel and Cam weren't getting you anywhere so go for the woman. I'll see a big strong familiar shoulder to cry on and I'll spill all the secrets that I must be hiding because for crying out loud we can't possibly be telling the truth!" Her voice was very calm. It was as if she was simply solving some problem that had been bothering her and now that she knew what it was the issue was closed. Her body language was strung tight, but none of the tension showed in her face. She simply waited for him to respond with a calm challenge evident in every pore of her body.

 

Jack wasn't sure which bothered him the most: her seeing through him so easily and being mostly correct about his objective or hearing her channel him. Yep he recognized O'Neill sarcasm; she even had the look and the stance going. She was smart and the other Jack O'Neill had trained her well. The whole thing was as irritating and pointless as he had told them.   
"You've got everything figured out don't you Carter?" He let his voice change from friendly back to slightly menacing with the command edge very few would question. He watched her flinch and he relaxed a little. He was back on familiar ground. Jack O'Neill growled and subordinates backed down. After all, this woman had been second in command to another him for 10 years; she was probably used to responding to the command in his voice and standing down.  
"Carter." She repeated the name slowly, her eyes suddenly sad, her voice low. The depth of pain he saw in her face surprised him. "I have heard Jack O'Neill say my name with irritation, exasperation, praise, maybe even a little bit of a whine when he wanted something and he couldn't sway me, but never with the cold nothingness that he reserved for strangers and enemies." She seemed to catch herself and gather herself back up. Leaning forward across the table she met his eyes and held them. So much for backing down at his growl he decided, not allowing any of his inner thoughts to reach his face. "You're wasting your time here O'Neill. I'm telling the truth and even if I wasn't, I'm not going to suddenly decide that you're my Jack and spill my guts to you."

Sam's eyes widened slightly and he knew that she realized he'd caught her slip. The pain he'd seen in her, the catch in her voice, he made the leap. "My Jack," O'Neill asked quietly, drawing out the first syllable as he leaned forward into her space. She didn't flinch or back off. She held her ground. He had to give her that. "So the other me isn't a stickler for the regulations. How close were you two?" He observed waiting for her response. This was interesting. He'd bet from her reactions that Sam and her Jack had crossed the line. Shoving the implications for himself in a box and shutting the door for another time, he concentrated on how he could use the information to his advantage.

This woman had feelings for him, the other him, Jack corrected silently. This hot, smart, totally hot soldier-doctor, legs to her arm pits woman was having an affair with him, well sort of. He held her eyes and didn't give away the speculation that her words elicited in his head. That she knew ‘him' pretty well and had been able to read him fairly accurately presented a problem. Not only did he have to be more careful around her, he was going to need a new course of action.

"No," Sam conceded to him. "My Jack O'Neill wasn't worried about rules and regulations most of the time, but when it came to me, he would never do anything or allowed me to do anything to compromise myself or my career." Her eyes were sad, but she didn't lose the steel in her voice or the barely concealed bitterness. "We did our duty, saved the world for 9 years and kept our feelings locked away, but my Jack hasn't been my CO for two years." She reached in her shirt, pulled out her dog tags and held them where he could see them. With a start, Jack recognized his mother's ring hanging on the chain. That hadn't been in any of the reports.

"The day before the last system lord, Ba'al was to be executed Jack gave me his mother's ring and asked me to marry him. We were going to tell everyone at dinner after we got back home, but we never got to because I left him dead on the floor on that god forsaken planet. He died ordering me to the gate. The last words between us weren't even ‘I love you'. One minute Jack was wondering if there was going to be cake and needling me about the time and the next all hell had broken loose and he was dead." Her blue eyes had turned glassy with unshed tears, but her voice didn't lose its steel. "I will never forget the look in his eyes as he died. Jack knew he was dead and there wouldn't be any Carter miracle or alien intervention to fix it. He's gone and I see him lying there with sightless eyes every time I close mine. So as I said, you're just wasting your time here O'Neill. Even if I wasn't telling the truth, I am well aware that you are not him."

Jack wasn't sure how to react. He would never in a million years have pegged this woman as someone that would love a ‘him' in any universe with the intensity that he saw on her face. The other him must have felt the same because he'd never thought he would hand anyone his mother's ring. His mom had been alive when he and Sara were married and after everything he'd been through with the divorce he couldn't see himself ever being married again let alone letting someone in close enough for them to rate his mother's ring. This woman was grieving her Jack O'Neill's loss. Even if he hadn't believed the grief he saw in her, the proof hung around her neck.

Without really being aware of what he was doing Jack reached forward and lifted the ring where it lay across her chest. The contact brought them both up short, but he caught himself before he dropped the ring. His son's existence could depend on what he found out from her and for the first time since she had composed herself after her initial surprise at seeing him, he could see she was struggling to remember he was the enemy. Ok, he needed to not be the enemy. Jack forced himself to release the ring slowly and allow some of speculation and turmoil he felt to reach his face as he let the back of his fingers skim her skin in seemingly accidental contact.

The momentary dilation of her eyes and her involuntary intake of breath at his touch reassured him that he was right. He could get to her, what wasn't good was the unexpected jolt that went through him at the contact. He didn't have to fake the way he pulled his hand away as if burned. Her eyes searched his for a moment. He thought she was trying to judge how honest his reaction had been. This woman was smart and she didn't miss a thing.

"I'm sorry." He surprised himself by saying and meaning it, his eyes fell back to his mother's ring for a moment. "I'm sorry we're here, having to have this conversation. If I was your me and you were mine and you lost me I wouldn't want another me to take advantage..." Jack heard what he was saying and sat back shaking his head. "Oh for crying out loud" he started, echoing her words of earlier and shoving a quick hand through his hair. He wasn't sure that came out the way he wanted, so much for a new strategy. "This is confusing." he confessed sheepishly. Seems he wasn't totally unaffected by her either or maybe it was just the weirdness of the situation.

Whatever the case, the knowledge that in another life another Jack O'Neill had loved her enough to wait years to be with her made him consider her in a different light. He was fairly sure his reaction to her wasn't just about the physical either. She was smart and tough and he was beginning to like her. He was honest enough to admit that he liked a woman of Sam Carter's caliber reacting so quickly and intensely to his touch. In other circumstances he'd be buying her a drink and getting to know her better, but this wasn't other circumstances and he couldn't afford the luxury of his body's reaction to her. He'd have to watch himself, but as he saw her face take on a lighter appearance and some of the wariness leave her stance he decided that he had stumbled on the right strategy.

Obviously Carter knew him well enough to be able to tell when he was sincere and when he wasn't. When he'd slipped up enough to show her an honest reaction she'd begun to let him in just a bit. He'd have to let his guard down somewhat with her and he was willing to bet that she'd let hers down in response. He might be affected by her but he could control it and not allow it to interfere with what he needed to do. She was at the disadvantage. She was in love with a man who was essentially him. He was sure he could keep the upper hand while drawing her in.

Jack had been right; this was going to be a hell of an assignment. He really did feel sort of protective and he didn't want to cause her more pain. He certainly didn't want to cause himself any, but if there was any chance this woman could cause his son to cease to exist, he'd do whatever was necessary. He'd had to do more distasteful things before for lesser causes then his son's life. Maybe for once he'd be lucky and she would be what she said, no threat.

Jack watched the emotions swirl just for a moment across her face before she got herself back under control. Her sad smile wasn't hostile, but it wasn't exactly friendly either. He allowed his own conflicting emotions to show as she searched his face. He wouldn't underestimate her again. She was trying to decide whether he was playing her again or not. He was sure of it. Enough of his reaction had been sincere that he thought he'd at least made some inroads to getting past her defenses. He reminded himself again how carefully he'd have to play this. It would be like trying to fool Sara before the divorce. That had been tough but doable and he couldn't imagine his other self had let this woman in any closer to him then Sara had been at the height of their marriage.

"It's ok." She soothed, obviously deciding he might be sincere. "I'm not doing too well at the moment. That wasn't fair."

"No it was fair. What they are asking me to do isn't, but then again the military isn't really about fair. We both know that." He sighed and sat back up out of his chair considering her a moment before he put his hands on the table and stood up. "Let's get this show on the road. We'll get you out of here and on the plane. We'll talk more there." He watched her stiffen and saw the walls start to come back up. "Look, I don't have all the answers Sam" he continued quickly.

Sam Carter's walls hadn't fallen much in the first place and he was determined not to undo any of the little bit of progress that he had made. "I'm sort of going on the fly here," that much was true "but one thing I do know is that you have got to want to get out of this cold military base and away from all the cameras. If you don't go with me you'll be stuck here while they try to figure out what to do with you and can you imagine the amount of paperwork they will force me to do for blowing it. Maybe we can keep the ‘me blowing it' part to ourselves."

He squinted at how lame that sounded to him and waited to see how Sam would react. She seemed to be considering for a moment, but the cold look hadn't come back into her eyes again so he felt like he was on the right track. "You're right." she stated. "I do want out of here and they might never find my body if I am the cause of huge honking amounts of paperwork being forced on you." He was surprised to find himself chuckling as he motioned toward the door and raised an eyebrow at her. Sam stood up at his gesture and came around the table. "So O'Neill is this you ignoring orders and deciding to get me settled and deal with the fall out later or you searching for plan B?" She surprised him by asking.

“Yep this is going to be interesting," he mused out loud with a chuckle as he followed her to the door and reached around her to signal in the window that he needed the door unlocked. "You know me pretty well don't you Sam?" he asked in a joking voice, finding himself relaxing slightly now that he was fairly sure of his strategy.

Sam Carter stopped at his words. She turned around to face him, becoming serious again. "I don't know," she answered, honesty evident in her voice. "I've met other Sam Carters, but you're the first ‘other' Jack O'Neill I've ever met, well other then the android, but you can't count him or your teenage clone." He almost stopped her for an explanation, but he wasn't sure if she'd thrown that last statement in to confuse him so he filed it away to ask her later and didn't interrupt her when she paused, her thoughts obviously turned inward.

"I was always pretty much the same in all the other realities." Sam continued. "Pretty close when it came to basic personality anyway. I'm trying not to assume the same is true for you. Those situations were all other realities in which the Stargate was a part of the equation, not alternate timelines with no off world travel. Besides even if you and my Jack are exactly the same in personality there is already a big difference between you two. My Jack learned to respect me as his second in command, trust me to watch his six and like me as a person before later loving me. Your only history with me is that you pulled me off the ice and you think I'm a whack job." Her almost smile looked so sad in that moment he had to ruthlessly squelch the impulse to comfort her somehow.

“Just how coldly ruthless Jack could be to protect the ones he considered under his care occasionally shocked me." She confessed slowly, almost as if she was thinking out loud, trying to sort out her own thoughts. "He tried to protect all of us from seeing that side of him." She seemed to be looking for answers from him as she searched his face for a moment. "If you decide that I am a threat..." Jack watched her change gears. That thought obviously didn't sit well with her. Maybe she was starting to see him as the very real threat he actually could represented to her. He didn't think up until that point she had thought of him that way and he realized that he didn't want her to start.

"I've never lived in a world where Jack O'Neill thought I was any threat to him or anyone that he cared about. I never would have believed that was possible, but here you stand trying to decide what to do about me so I guess I better keep reminding myself that no, I don't know you O'Neill. I just know someone a lot like you."

Jack had no idea what to say to that. She was basically right. He'd thought she was a whack job when he walked into the room. After talking with her he was coming to respect her intellect, her pragmatic acceptance of her situation, and her ability to stand toe to toe with him, but he wasn't ready to revise the whack job impression completely yet. He could see hurt and grief in her face for a moment, but mostly she just looked exhausted and then she was gone, walking down the hall toward her quarters to collect her bags.

He watched her go, watched the guard at the other end of the hall step aside to allow her into her quarters. He smiled at the thought of watching her six as a pastime, but sobered as he considered her words. In some other life he trusted this woman at his back as his 2IC. That said a lot about her. There weren't many that he trusted like that. He'd read the reports on her, the statements by her team mates about her and now he'd gotten a real glimpse into how her mind worked. He'd made a simple statement that had caused her to question her knowledge of him and she'd logically walked herself through the situation. From what he'd read in her team mates reports of her, their complete faith that given the chance she could figure out how to change the timeline back to theirs, what he'd read between the lines in her report, and what he had experienced since walking in the door, he was going to have to be very careful in his dealings with this woman. He found himself hoping that she was just a very smart lady in the process of accepting the very tough break life had dealt her and not a threat he'd have to deal with.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 

Sam fled to her quarters with as much dignity and calm as she could muster. She would not fall apart in front of this Jack O'Neill. She began checking the drawers to make sure that she had gotten everything. There really wasn't any point, she only owned a couple of changes of clothes and toiletries that she had been given when she'd arrived and she wouldn't be terribly upset if she left any of that behind. The only possession she really cared about anymore was the USB drive with her personal journal and pictures on it.

 

By some twist of fate it had fallen out of her things when she'd come back from Atlantis. Walter, the gate technician, had found it and handed it to her the next time he saw her, which happened to be the day of Ba'al's execution. Now she was grateful for it even though she wasn't sure if the cold and conditions of their arrival into this timeline had corrupted the data on it or not. She hoped not. The zip drive was specially developed to prevent data loss sometimes caused by gate travel. Maybe it would have survived the adverse conditions of the Arctic.

 

Sam took great pains to keep the device hidden from anyone in this reality. There was no doubt that it would be taken away from her if discovered. Losing it would be bad enough, but having a bunch of strangers go though her pictures and her personal journal would be unacceptable. She smiled at that thought. She couldn't imagine anyone in this world ever getting past her encryptions or figure out how to access her data if they did get their hands on it. She'd made and programmed the little jump drive herself. Curious to see if she could adapt an Asgaurd device she was working with a few months back, she'd made the mini jump drive to test her theories. The device only worked on her computer. In this timeline it wouldn't work anywhere at all until she set up a program to read it.

 

Sam looked down at her hands as she shut the last drawer. They were no longer shaking. She took a deep breath and resisted the urge to touch the half inch long zip drive she'd braided into her hair at the back of her neck for safe keeping. Jack would have been so amused at her hiding place. He really loved it when she'd been able to grow her hair out long. She smiled at the thought of how much he would have picked on her for that purely female impulse on where to hide the drive.

 

"Ready to go," Sam turned at O'Neill's voice.

 

"Ready." she acknowledged. She was about to shoulder her bag when he reached around her and transferred it to his own shoulder. "Thank you." She couldn't keep the surprise from her voice, but if he noticed he didn't say anything. She shook her head at the fact that it was such a small gesture that had surprised her and not the whole situation she found herself in.

 

After everything SG1 had experienced over the years she assumed she was immune to being very surprised when life took a turn toward the unbelievable or imaginable, but this O'Neill was so different from her Jack and yet so much the same that it was shaking her. Jack would never have carried a bag for her in a military situation unless she was hurt in the field or she asked him to. She knew Jack saw her as a woman, but he saw her as a soldier and valued member of his team first. O'Neill had never fought beside her, never learned what she was capable of, she had never earned his respect. This man saw her less as a soldier and more as a woman. That was interesting.

 

As she fell into step beside O'Neill, Sam thought about what she had said to him a few minutes ago. If he did see her as a threat, how far would he go to stop her? Sam shivered and pushed the thought away. It was too much right then. Take it back to basics, she told herself. What did she have? What did she need? Right now she had her knowledge of Jack O'Neill and her knowledge of what was coming in the form of the attack she knew would materialize when enemy ships finally arrived in orbit. She needed to stay free and out from under anyone's radar, especially O'Neill's, until Ba'al attacked and she was allowed to make a difference again.

 

Glancing over at O'Neill, Sam pushed her doubts aside. She would simply have to convince him that she was telling the truth, which she was, and that she was no danger to him or his timeline, which wouldn't be all that easy, because she was a threat to both. At the first opportunity she got she would find a way to restore her timeline, the correct timeline, and make sure Ba'al was the one dead and not the people she loved. Feeling a bit better having sorted out her objectives, Sam allowed O'Neill to lead her toward her new life.

 

The preparations for them leaving didn't take long. Before she knew it, Sam was settled into a seat on a military transport jet, waiting for them to take off toward her new life. She was a little surprised that O'Neill left her alone in the seat long enough for him to walk back to the rear of the plane. He hadn't said why and she hadn't asked. Sam hadn't been left alone very often, at least not without knowing there were cameras trained on her and someone watching the live feed. The small show of trust made her feel just a little bit human again. She refused to think about the fact that he was practical enough to know that she had no place to go and was surrounded by ice, snow, and personnel.

 

For the moment she wasn't the center of anyone's attention and that felt good. Sam almost jumped when a young airman spoke beside her. "It's a long flight Ma'am. Would you or Colonel O'Neill like any coffee before we take off?" The hot liquid smelled fantastic. Tired and lost in her own thoughts, she answered without thinking.

 

"Thank you Airman, two sugars for the Colonel, one sugar, one cream for me." she answered then thought better of it as he started to hand her the packs of sugar and creamer to go along with the cups he was setting down in the slots on the arm rest. "Wait," she stopped the young man. "Maybe you better leave a couple of extra sugar and creamers. I'm not really sure how the Colonel takes his coffee." He wasn't her Jack she reminded herself.

 

"No need, you were right. That's how I take my coffee when I have a choice." O'Neill's voice came from behind her. She wasn't sure how long he had been standing there, but he didn't seem angry at her assumption and she wasn't in the mood to discuss it so she watched him settle back into the outside seat next to her before closing her eyes and trying to sleep. Flying had always relaxed her. She hoped it wasn't any different this time.

***

 

Jack settled into the seat next to Sam Carter. He didn't mention it weirded him out that she'd ordered his coffee like she'd been doing it for years. Alienating her wasn't part of the plan. He should probably be glad that she was connecting him and her Jack in her head. He could see that she was trying not to, but the coffee was a slip. He'd gone back to the hold to go through her bag. He didn't think she would be stupid enough to leave anything in it and he knew that she had been searched when she'd been brought in, but still he was glad not to find anything. He was hoping that the she would prove herself not any more of a threat then she appeared to be on the surface and that he could end his assignment quickly with as little trouble to the both of them as possible.

Jack couldn't help the speculation that went through him when he thought of the ring hanging around her neck or the reaction that sparked between them. He felt torn. There was a part of him that felt drawn to her in a big way, but another part was fairly certain that she hid something. That didn't sit well with him. He couldn't see what she could possibly be hiding. She had nothing but the clothes on her back when she'd been brought in and even those had been taken away from her at the first opportunity. There was no way she could be carrying anything and without access to any equipment he didn't see how she could possibly be a threat, but there was a depth to her that left him feeling like he was missing something.

Annoyed at the direction of his thoughts, Jack studied the clouds sweeping by the window on the other side of the plane. At least they were on one of the cargo flights that had been outfitted with a few comfortable seats. It was a long flight until they hit the mainland US. He settled himself back into his seat with a quick glance at the woman next to him. Other then the flight crew, they were the only passengers so they had the cabin to themselves.

His thoughts returned to Sam as he drained the last bit of coffee and set the cup in the armrest across the aisle. She looked like she was trying to get some sleep. The silence wasn't awkward and that suited him just fine. He was making progress of a sort. She might not trust him, but he got to her. He could tell when he did or said something that was in line with the way that her Jack acted. Those were the times that she let down her guard and for a moment they would connect. The trouble was, he felt himself connect with her at that point too.

Sam had mentioned that her Jack O'Neill hadn't wanted her to see the darkest side of his personality, the side that had allowed him to participate in Black Operations for so many years and so successfully. Jack could understand that. There were very few people that ever saw that side of him and actually lived through it. The fact that she understood so well that Jack O'Neill had such a dark side, actually understood what that meant and accepted it as a necessary part of him was new. His professional life and his personal life had never even come close to intertwining. Allowing the two to collide was something that he'd always fought against, but Jack couldn't help wondering what it had been like for his counterpart and the woman sleeping beside him. What would it feel like to be in love with a woman that accepted him that way? What would it be like to have someone know him that well and love him despite knowing what he was capable of?

Jack pushed his hands irritably through his hair. He had to stop thinking like that. If he was going to remain effective he had to get to her, not allow thoughts of her to get to him. Damn that was hard to do. She was such a beautiful woman, sexy, intelligent, she challenged him and had no trouble standing toe to toe with him as an equal. None of those things were traits that he was used to having wrapped up all in one woman. Add into that how she talked about her Jack and the love and respect he saw in her eyes. That was all very hard to ignore, especially since while he believed the reports of the changed timeline because he had little choice when faced with another Sam Carter and that annoying scientist McKay explaining how it was all possible over and over, he still felt simultaneously weirded out and intrigued by her reactions to him. The same reactions he was probably going to have to exploit to complete his mission.

Yep, the whole alternate universe thing had his head pounding. Intentionally turning his thoughts to the flight ahead and away from the woman beside him, Jack settled back in the seat and relaxed himself into sleep.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Plane Truth

Chapter 4 - The Plane Truth

 

Sam listened to Jack's breathing even out. She envied him his ability to be instantly asleep no matter the circumstances. Being careful not to shift too much and wake the sleeping man beside her, Sam turned so that she could get a better look at her companion. She studied O'Neill's face. She knew that he was the same age as her Jack, but his face appeared younger. He was missing the scar over his eye but had a new one on his temple. His body was a little leaner, but that made sense. Her Jack was behind a desk most of the time these days and O'Neill was still in the field. She wondered if O'Neill's knees were bad or if he had nightmares. Was he still married to Sara? She closed her eyes in pain, trying to control the tears that threatened to reach the surface.

 

Breathing deeply, Sam got herself under control. She had inadvertently leaned forward toward O'Neill. She'd barely moved, but in the close confines of the plane her head was near his shoulder. Breathing in his scent calmed her. He smelled like Jack. There lies the way of folly she reminded herself. Thinking of this man as Jack even for an instant was going to undo her. She'd spent too many years trusting him, loving him, working side by side with him. Jack O'Neill overwhelmed her senses. Clamping down on her emotions, Sam forced herself to lean away from O'Neill, when his hand on her arm made her startle. Snapping her eyes to his, she was surprised to see compassion there.

 

"It's ok Sam." He turned and opened slightly, offering her the comfort of his arms. For a moment she considered it. Just to be held for a few moments, to breath in his scent and close her eyes against the image of him lying dead on the floor was pulling at her, making her hesitate to put space between them. "I can't pretend to know the loss that you're dealing with, but I do understand los," he told her. She didn't see any calculation in his face. He looked like he was being sincere. "I know you see me as the enemy and you know I'm not him. I got that. But you're in pain and in a weird sort of way we are connected. I feel responsible. Sort of like taking care of my brother's wife if he died." He finished his expression open and relaxed for the moment.

"You can't stand your brother or his wife. Battle Ax is how I think I remember you referring to her..." she trailed off as she realized what she was saying. "Sorry O'Neill."

 

"Ok bad example." He was smiling now. Actually looking warm, he allowed his hand to slide down her arm and give her a reassuring squeeze before moving back. "You're right. Can't stand either of them," he confirmed with the crinkles around his eyes making his voice that much warmer. "I see some things don't change no matter what universe you get sent to."

 

"Reality," she corrected, "alternate reality, well different timeline actually." She stopped at the familiar glazing over of Jack's eyes. "Never mind, point is I'm still in the same universe." She finished.

 

"Ah." He accepted the correction. "You OK?" Sam could sense the sincerity behind his question, but she wasn't sure what his motives might be for offering her compassion.

 

"I'm fine." She tried to make herself relax back into her seat. "So you are settling me in Florida?" The subject change seemed safer then allowing him to comfort her. She'd already slipped about his brother. O'Neill wasn't that much removed from Jack in her mind. She needed more distance. "Then I guess you take off for home?"

 

Jack watched her for a moment. She wasn't sure he was going to allow the subject change. Maybe ‘fine' didn't work on this man either. She was relieved when he settled back into his seat. "Nope" he informed her. "They have you all set up in a two bedroom condo. I will be staying with you for the next three months while I teach a class at Hurlburt Field. I am assuming you will be settled in to your new life by then. I'll finish teaching, be reassigned and you will be free to live your life."

 

"Holy Hannah" she was supposed to share a condo with him. No way. "They really are convinced that I'm dangerous aren't they." Sam sat up in her seat and turned to face him. "There is no way they'd assign me a personal guard, let alone someone of your caliber and value to watch me unless they believe I could be a threat to national security." She couldn't believe that they considered her that much of a risk.

 

"I hate to burst your bubble Sam, but I do a lot of teaching and guest lecturing these days. The knees you know." The look on O'Neill's face was unreadable. "Hurlburt Field, Eglin AF Base, Special Operations...am I ringing any bells for you here Colonel? You probably wouldn't have gotten me, but I was assigned already to do some teaching and yes they think you might be a threat so I'm assessing you. You already know that. You are not a stupid woman and I'm betting that this is not your first go around with the red tape, paper pushers and their creative solutions to people and things that don't fit into a nice little box."

 

"That's a conveniently simple explanation O'Neill. You're right. This isn't my first dealings with this government and their manipulations. Assigned to this base or not, you would not be assigned such close quarters with me nor would you accept them unless you saw the need or they at least convinced you there might be one. And don't give me the ‘I follow orders' line either. Just level with me, please" Sam didn't know what to think. "If they think I'm this much of a risk then why not leave me locked up or let the NID kill me outright. I'm sure they're no better here than they were in my time. Why go to the trouble of assigning a duplicate of my CO to watch me and putting us in such close quarters?"

 

"Hey now, I'm no one's cheep imitation." O'Neill took offense at that one. He took a deep breath. She knew he was trying to decide how to handle her request. "All right," his inflection, the considering look on his face, she would bet he was thinking about telling her the truth. O'Neill leaned into her space pulling her focus solely on him. "I've thought this assignment ill conceived from the start" he confided. "They were banking on you being naive or stupid or easily manipulated and I can't see how anyone who has read your file or spent five minutes with you would think this conversation wouldn't come up." She blushed a little at the backward compliment.

 

"They've kept me isolated and unbalanced." Sam pointed out. "Even though they didn't know how close Jack and I were they assumed that after nearly a decade as his 2IC in a front line unit we'd be close and I'd naturally be looking for someone to turn to especially after these last few weeks."

 

He nodded before continuing where she'd left off. "They figured if they put me in your path, I might be able to build enough trust with you that you'd let something slip." Sam considered his words for a moment. She wasn't that surprised that he had confessed the assignment to her. Jack had always gone his own way and done what he thought best to get the job done, but she wasn't sure why he was telling her or what he really saw his job as. Sam couldn't do anything to the timeline until the government trusted her enough to let her near the Stargate or until Ba'al attacked and she was needed. Would it hurt to let her guard down just a bit? Could she trust the man beside her in any way? As she was trying to figure out what her options were a thought occurred to her, making the blood drain from her face. "Just how far would you go to get me to let my guard down with you O'Neill?"


	5. Chapter 5 - Wait for it... Wait for it...

Chapter 5 - Wait for it, Wait for it...

Jack was afraid that question would occur to her. She was way too astute for him to be comfortable with an out and out lie. "Are you asking if I was ordered to sleep with you?" Jack couldn't resist leaning forward into her space and dipping his head until he caught her eyes with his.

 

"Were you? Would you have?" Her voice was no more than a quiet whisper and for the first time since he'd met her she didn't hold her ground. Putting a little distance between them, her eyes bore into him.

 

"I'm sure in some other univ...I mean timeline, I've told you just how hot I find you." She didn't give any more ground and continued to meet his gaze unflinchingly, waiting for an answer, but she couldn't stop the blush that crept up her neck and cheeks. He felt his heart beat a little faster. He'd made her blush. With a slight nod he indicated the rising color in her cheeks. "I will take that as a yes." Tone down on the smug, he told himself, not wanting to break the mood he was creating. Leaning a little farther into her space he placed his hand next to hers on the arm rest. Casually, with the lightest of touches he began to caress the back of her hand with his thumb.

 

"I promise you Samantha," He let his voice slide over her name and was rewarded as her pupils dilated and her breath caught. He knew he was pushing her, but couldn't help himself. "When I decide to seduce you it will be because I, Jack O'Neill, want you in my bed and am hoping you want to be there as well; not because my government has ordered me to." He allowed his expression to stay open to her and waited quietly for her response. Despite the short time that they'd been in each other's company he already recognized the face she made when she was sorting through the possibilities and matching facts with probable outcomes. Wait for it. He told himself. Wait for it.

 

"You said when." Sam's breathy voice brought a smile to his face. He thought she might get stuck on that.

 

"Yes I did." He confirmed.

 

"But I'm..." Sam hesitated, unsure. He had her flustered. Good.

 

"Grieving," he supplied helpfully, his voice kind. "I know and when we get to Florida I'll be working, assessing you. Timing is a little off. We'll work on that."

 

"No Jack, I'm grieving you." She tried to reason. "That's a little more than timing."

 

"No Sam. You're not grieving me" Jack pointed out. Following an impulse to finish what he had started, he lifted his hand to her cheek and gently turned her fully toward him. Making sure that she was focused on him and didn't turn away he continued. "As you have pointed out, I'm not him. I'm not a general, I haven't traveled off this planet, and I've never met a man named for a child's toy let alone pissed him off enough that he set out to kill me. All of those things seem like they'd change a man and I've never done one of them."

 

He could see she was considering his words. "Most importantly I didn't have to bury my son. I don't want to even think about the ways that would have changed me. Hell, I'm surprised that any Jack O'Neill anywhere survived that. I would say that I carry a few of the mannerisms of the man you're grieving and share some of his tastes." He let that remark settle in for a moment before continuing. He figured she'd get that he didn't mean the coffee.

 

"Perhaps I even share his killer charm, but as you've pointed out, I'm vastly different." Seeing that he had pushed her as far as he thought was wise, Jack allowed his hand to caress her cheek for a moment, enjoying the softness of her skin without allowing her to break eye contact. He had her off balance and he wasn't about to question if that had been his motive in starting the conversation or if it had been because she was the most interesting woman he'd met in a long time. "Why don't we just take this slow?" he suggested. "I'll assess. You settle in. We'll see where that leaves us."

 

Releasing Sam's cheek, he settled back from her slightly, giving her more space and allowing her time to adjust. He didn't move far. He wasn't exactly a novice when it came to woman and while he didn't do emotions well, he read people well. She was off balance and unsure. Her breath had quickened again at his touch and her face was flushed. "And if your assessment doesn't go well?" Sam asked in a quiet voice snapping his attention back to her face as he searched for answers there.

 

"Do you expect that it won't?" He countered, his body stilling with the implications of what she might be suggesting.

 

"I hope it comes out just fine." She countered with a non-answer he wasn't particularly happy with.

 

"Are you hiding anything Sam?" He bluntly asked. "Are you a threat to my world?"

 

"Ba'al is a threat to your world, but now it's my world too and no one will let me help save it. When he shows up here ready to kill and enslave the population, it will be too late and I'll have to watch the man that killed my world kill this one." He could get lost in the intensity of her eyes he decided even as he processed what she said. He found the threat hard to take seriously. He'd read the reports. If SG1 was to be believed then he couldn't see why they believed this Ba'al creature would come to earth. The bad guy had neutralized the threat Earth represented to him by changing the timeline. Ba'al had nothing to gain by coming to the planet but revenge that he had already succeeded in getting. Coming to earth was not strategically or militarily a smart move. It was a waste. He couldn't see a being with the intelligence to pull off changing the timeline being stupid enough to waste time and resources on a bit of gratuitous revenge no one would understand because as far as Ba'al knew no one remembered things ever being different.

 

"And since we're being honest here: you are my Jack, just not exactly." Alright he didn't get that. She had a way of knowing just when his thoughts were not 100 percent focused on her and throwing something at him to bring it right back into focus.

 

"Do you want to explain that Carter?" he snapped, caught off guard.

 

"Now that is the tone I am used to hearing Jack O'Neill speak my name in." She smiled and for the first time it reached her eyes. Sobering, she leaned back, putting a little more distance between them. "We are not in an alternate reality. This is my reality; just the timeline has been changed." He didn't understand and hoped she wasn't going to start sounding like that guy McKay. He'd seriously thought about shooting the self-righteous science geek. He'd actually had some nice fantasies about breaking his neck too, he remembered.

 

Jack winced as Sam jumped into an explanation he was afraid was going to be a repeat of the McKay experience. "An alternate reality" she had that scientific teaching face on, "is like a book that someone writes dozens of times with dozens of endings. Each one is a separate book, with basically the same characters and same settings, just making different decisions and different outcomes resulting. When you stack all the books together there are an infinite number, but no two will be exactly the same." He nodded his understanding relieved she'd kept it short and sweet. Why hadn't McKay just said that?

 

She let that sink in for a second before she continued. "This is the same reality that I left. You are the same Jack O'Neill that died on the Tokra home world." She must have seen his confusion because she held a hand to stop his comment before he could make it. "When Ba'al went back in time and sabotaged the Stargate being brought to the United States, he changed this timeline. Before time reset itself completely you and I watched people we cared about disappear. As the timeline continued to rewrite itself I watched you die before the remaining members of SG1 threw ourselves into the event horizon generated by the Stargate."

 

Sam paused, searching his eyes to see if he understood. He nodded for her to continue. "I'm guessing that in the millisecond it took to reconstitute our atoms we were protected from the changes to the timeline and emerged from the same Stargate we'd been traveling through for the last 12 years, but in the new timeline, memories of the original timeline intact. That's a simplified explanation of course." Jack was relieved. He could follow what she said and he understood and she seemed to be keeping it short and sweet. "It is like Ba'al went in the book and erased parts and rewrote the rest. He didn't make a new book; he just caused the original one to be rewritten from a certain point on. Because Cam, Daniel and I were in the wormhole associated with Stargate travel we weren't affected or re-written"

 

"When you put it like that I understand." Jack pointed out.

"That McKay fellow spent hours explaining and I still only half got it."

 

"McKay?" Sam chuckled. "A little full of himself was he?" She smiled. "In my timeline Rodney actually gets better, more bearable, but I came close to shooting him a few times when we first met."

 

"Now see, I had the same reactions. I told the General it wasn't me, that it was the little dweeb that was the problem." Jack found himself smiling. "So when this Ball guy rewrote the book you three were in invisible ink so he didn't know you were there and couldn't touch you." He got this.

 

Sam shook her head at him. "I wouldn't have put it that way, but that's close enough."

 

"That means that I am him, just re-written without all the experiences that came with the Stargate." He was getting this. She could almost make him like scientists he decided caught up in the moment of finally understanding all of the fantastic tales he'd been fed since being pulled back into this whole mess. Jack stilled for a moment as a thought occurred to him. "Is that how I lost Charlie? That Jackson fellow said Charlie shot himself with my gun. Was that because of something with the Stargate?" That statement had haunted him and his dreams since he'd pulled the strange group off of the ice.

 

"No." She didn't say anything for a few moments. He could see she was thinking about her answer. "I don't know why the Stargate made such a big change in your life. Charlie's accident didn't have anything to do with any missions surrounding the ‘gate. I didn't know you, him, yet when it happened. Stargate Command didn't exist until after Charlie was already gone." He'd wondered when she would catch the fact that she had started to refer to him and the Jack she had known interchangeable. Now she was admitting that he was actually the same man, but with different life experiences. He wasn't sure how to process that little tidbit, but he knew one he didn't want to process at all.

 

Jack reached out and placed his hand over Sam's on the arm of the seat. "I don't want to talk about Charlie. He's alive and well as he should be and that is the only thing that matters. I can't hear about a place where that isn't true. I'm sorry. I don't know why I asked. I really don't want to know." Jack squeezed her hand to reassure her that he was not mad. He didn't want the distance back. Charlie had been a reminder of why he had to be cautious. Regardless of whether Jack believed this woman was capable under present circumstances of being a threat he had to be sure. If there was any way the woman sitting beside him believed she could bring her version of the book back he needed to know and stop her. He couldn't imagine how it would be possible for her to change anything with the restrictions that had been placed on her and no access to anything beyond a monitored laptop that he had been authorized to give her. He really hoped that she prove him right.


	6. Chapter 6 - Everything

Chapter 6 - Everything

 

            Sam didn't move, but slowly opened her eyes trying to identify what had awakened her.  They'd been in the air for a little over two hours before she'd managed to settle her mind down enough to nap.  As she was deciding that whatever woke her was not going to repeat itself, O'Neill jumped in his sleep and threw his arms up as if to shield his face.  He clutched at his neck before groaning a few words in Arabic.  Sam realized what was happening.  She'd slept beside Jack O'Neill in the field and later in his bed for too many years not to recognize his nightmare and this one in particular.

 

            SG1 learned long ago to allow him to ride out his nightmares unless they got too violent.  Waking him usually left him shaking and undone, but if he managed to stay asleep through them he often didn't seem to remember anything.  After she and Jack's relationship changed and they began to share a bed she'd learned a few ways to wake him when necessary.  Before that she and Daniel tended to rely on Teal'c whenever possible.  Waking Jack O'Neill incorrectly from a nightmare could get painful at best.

 

            Sam pulled herself up quietly so that she could observe O'Neill.  His face was pinched in remembered pain, his body tense, but he wasn't in the distress that would mean his mind had taken him back to the worst of the torture he had endured so long ago.  She sent a little prayer skyward that he would start to pull himself out of the nightmare before he was drawn deeper, but the sudden jolt of his body as he clenched his hand in the collar of his sweater told her that he wasn't going to be spared this time.

 

            Sam didn't hesitate.  Careful not to touch his arms, neck or face in any way since that always set him off, she laid her hand gently on his chest, near his heart.  This technique worked best when they were both naked and he could feel the warmth of her flesh against his, but there wasn't any help for that.  She thought back to the first time she'd woken her Jack from one of these nightmares.  He'd simply held on to her for the longest time, then he'd begun whispering to her in the dark, telling her how her voice and the warmth of her skin against his pulled him from his nightmare.  Maybe the dark had made it easier but as he calmed he'd continued to hold her tightly against him and told her things he said he'd never shared with anyone about what had actually happened.  Somehow after it was all over the nightmares seemed to come less frequently.

 

            Her hand on O'Neill's heart wasn't calming him at all.  Maybe she was stupid to believe that she could calm this man when he didn't know her and didn't trust her.  Maybe she was the only one feeling a connection or maybe it was the layers of clothing between them.  Jack had mentioned the feel of her skin warm against his.  She bit her lip in concern, but moved her hand down to his stomach and gently slid it between the buttons of his shirt.  His arm nearly hit her as he thrashed again, but he didn't react to her hand.  She slowly began to run her thumb back and forth soothingly and talk to him in a low voice. 

 

            "Its ok Jack, it's just a dream.  You're free. You can move.  There's nothing holding your arms down.  There's nothing around your neck.  You can breath.  It's just a nightmare.  No one is going to hurt you."  She kept repeating the same things over and over.  He'd told her that was always how that part of the nightmare started.  They bound him by his neck and hands so that if he struggled he slowly strangled himself.  He'd had to force himself to hold still while they tortured him.  He'd admitted that he'd started to struggle just in the hopes of ending his life and their ability to continue the torture, but it hadn't worked.  He wasn't able to get the binding tight enough.  It had been a mind game.  The torture went on with him knowing they'd won.  They'd made him give up and try to take his own life. 

 

            Sam was so lost in her own thoughts that it took a minute to register that O'Neill wasn't struggling anymore.  He'd quieted.  She looked up at his face surprised to find his eyes open, intently studying her.  "You know what happened don't you."  There was no question in his voice.  His expression was closed.  She wasn't sure what he was thinking.  He must have felt her shift positions because his fingers closed around her wrist before she could pull her hand away from his skin.  "I wouldn't have told you that.  I couldn't have told you that."  The pain in his voice tore at her heart.

 

"In the dark with your face against my neck and holding me so tightly I wondered if you'd crack ribs."        




 

            "Everything" he questioned.

 

            "I'm not sure.  I think so." Sam fought to keep her eyes dry and not react to the naked pain on his face.  Her becoming emotional was just going to make it worse on him.  She didn't try to pull her wrist out of his grip.  She allowed him a moment to bring himself back under control.  The dreams always left him fighting for control.  At least she'd been able to keep him from some of the pain being dragged all the way down into that particular hell left him with.  No, she told herself.  The man holding her wrist and staring so intently at her wasn't Jack she ruthlessly reminded herself.  This man was O'Neill.  It was getting harder to remember that. 

 

            When O'Neill released her hand and slid his fingers into her hair to tilt her face up to him, Sam didn't try to pull back.  He searched her face for a moment.  His eyes were nearly black with intensity.  "How can you touch me?" he asked her.  "Knowing all the things you know about me, him, how do you still touch me?" 

 

            Sam was taken aback by O'Neill's words.  In all the years she'd known Jack she could never imagine him being so blatant about his belief that he was somehow damaged.  She knew he believed it or had on some level, but he'd never expressed it as more than a slight edge to his teasing of her about her loving him.  She considered how to answer.  O'Neill wasn't Jack but he was.  Fundamentally he had to be, her heart said he was.  The Air Force's trust in him to keep this world safe if she was a threat said he was.  It didn't matter if they ended up on opposite sides of what was going to happen; he was still a man this world could depend on and she still couldn't resist the pain in his eyes.

 

            "You, Jack O'Neill are the most honorable, selfless men I have ever met."  She answered honestly.  When he would have opened his mouth she stopped him with a shake of her head and the finger she pressed against his lips.  "You asked me a question.  Let me answer."

 

            "I have to believe that you are the same Jack O'Neill inside that I know, even if you don't know me.  I don't see a man stained by a black soul.  I see an amazing man capable of making hard decisions to keep this world safe no matter what the personal cost.  I see a man human enough to feel the weight of those decisions and strong enough to keep going anyway."  Sam didn't say more just waited for her words to sink in, waited to see if they would lessen the shadows in his eyes. 

 

            O'Neill's hands were warm on her face and his thumbs were moving along her skin.  He must have felt the shiver run down her spine.  She watched a new awareness in his eyes push the pain away.  Sam's skin felt on fire where he was caressing her.  She fought to remember that this man was a stranger, but the intensity of his eyes pulled her in.  The intensity of being held by Jack O'Neill, his scent, the feel of him threatened to overwhelm her.  Sam fought back tears that threatened to escape at the same time she fought to quiet the reaction of her body to his touch.

 

            Sam's heart slammed into the wall of her chest as she watched O'Neill lean forward, using his hands to bring her closer to him at the same time.  His eyes were dark and intense.  "You're a dangerous woman Samantha Carter."  His voice was barely a whisper against her lips sending shivers straight to the bottom of her stomach.  "If I kiss you will you be kissing me or a ghost?"

 

            "O'Neill" she barely breathed his name before he closed the distance between them.  She moaned low in her throat in anticipation.  Sam felt him smile as he settled his lips on hers.  O'Neill's tongue demanding entrance, her lips parting in invitation, the kiss swept through Sam blurring the lines between the two men even further. 

 

 




 

            Sam's thoughts jumbled as O'Neill slid an arm down her back pulling her as close as the seats would allow.  The other hand was at her throat, his thumb caressing her cheek.  When O'Neill lightened the kiss and would have pulled back Sam didn't think.  She reacted.  She wasn't ready for the world to be complicated again.  "Not yet." She murmured as she tried to deepen the kiss once more.  When she nipped at his lower lip his response was immediate.  He groaned against her and slid his hand into the hair at the back of her neck to pull her closer and deepening the kiss once again.  When O'Neill froze, pulling her head away from him and leaning back she was dazed.  Sam could only stare at him with what she was sure was owl eyes.

 

            O'Neill's face was cold, unreadable.  Anger radiated off of him in waves.  She would have pulled back further but the arm around her back had turned into a steel band.  Confused for a moment, Sam suddenly realized what the problem was.  She straightened her back as much as his hold would allow.  "Are you going to remove whatever it is you have hidden in your hair or am I?"  His voice left no doubt that his removal would not be pleasant.  Sam felt the panic rise.  The little drive was harmless but he would never believe that.


	7. Chapter 7 - Splitting Hairs

 

 Chapter 7 - Splitting Hairs

 

          




            Breaking the kiss, Jack leaned his forehead against Sam's and fought to put some distance between them.  His resolve crumbled when she looked up at him with liquid blue eyes just before pulling his bottom lip between her teeth and nipping lightly.  Her primal, blatant request for him to continue his possession of her mouth shot all the way through his stomach to his groin.  Secure in the knowledge that Samantha Carter was strong enough to accept him as he was, Jack didn't attempt to hold back the intensity of his reaction to her.  His hand shot into her hair and curled around the nape of her neck to hold her steady.  He needed her close and open to him.  He allowed himself the rare moment to stop thinking and just feel.  Tightening his fingers on her neck to adjust the angle of their kiss, Jack froze.  Under his index finger was the unmistakable feel of something plastic or metal. 

            The cold fury that washed over him in that moment had him fighting not to rip the device from her scalp.  She'd been lying after all.  He pulled back from her but didn't remove his hand.  Instead he used his finger to press the little device against her scalp.  When she blinked at him in confusion he wanted to shake her.  Did she understand the uncharacteristic leap he'd been about to take?  Remaining silent, trying to regain the control to speak, Jack watched her face and knew the moment she realized what he'd found.  "Are you going to remove whatever it is you have hidden in your hair or am I?"  She straightened against his arm, but he didn't give her an inch.  "I asked you a question Carter," he pointed out, his fingers contracting in her hair of their own volition. 

            Carter flinched, but didn't look away.  "It's not what you think." she began.  He didn't want to hear it.  He allowed his fingers to tangle in the hair around the device in an unmistakable threat.  Jack felt a little satisfaction at the fear that crossed her face as her hands flew up under her hair.  He removed his own to give her the space to untangle the knots holding the device but didn't allow her to put any more distance between them then necessary.

            "You're playing a very dangerous game Colonel."  Jack refused to examine how much he had pushed that particular game himself.  "That explains why nothing was ever found on you." he stated coldly as she brought the tiny device from under her hair with shaky hands.  He reached to take it from her but she didn't immediately let it go instead letting her hand rest in his.  He cursed himself for pulling his own hand back from her so quickly.  This woman got under his skin entirely too easily.

            "Please Jack," Sam was anything but a stupid woman.  He assumed she'd slipped when she called him Jack.  He didn't want to think that that she thought he was that easy to manipulate.  Anger and suspicion were much more comfortable emotions for him then hope.  Getting comfortable Jack flung her slip back at her. 

            "Jack is it now?"  His voice was hard.  "I thought I was O'Neill.  You know the one who doesn't know you.  The one you can manipulate or wait... You said I'm him right?"  He was being intentionally cruel but she'd opened this can of worms.  She deserved what she got.  "I'm the disposable Jack O'Neill without the memories of doing all the things we did together.  Did you think you could use me to change the timeline and bring him back?  Are you just that good at manipulating him that you figured it would work on me too?  Is that how Mom's ring ended up around your neck?" he finished, feeling a little satisfaction when she flinched at his words.

            "You think I've betrayed you."  She schooled her features and met his eyes, not backing away.   

            You aren't getting out of it that easy, he silently raged.  She had betrayed him.  She'd offered him hope then ripped it away.  "For you to betray me, I'd have had to trust you Carter.  You tried to manipulate me.  Let's get that straight."  He reached for the device.  "You're going to tell me what this thing is and what it does Colonel."  She didn't try to hold on to it or him this time when he pulled the bit of plastic from her fingers.  He released his arm from around her back allowing her to sit back in her seat.  The small area between his body and the window didn't give her a lot of room to retreat and that suited him just fine.

            "You get one chance to tell me the truth.  If I think you're lying or I find out when we land and I have this thing analyzed that you've lied I will have no choice but to classify you as a threat and follow my orders."  He allowed that thought to sink in.  "Do I make myself clear Colonel?"  The command in his voice was unmistakable. 

            "Crystal."  Her voice was strong, but her face was pale and her eyes huge.  Satisfied she understood what was at stake, Jack waited for her to talk.

            "It's a USB memory stick."  He looked down at the device in his hand as she spoke.  "I built it from alien technology.  It's a combination of earth based data storage technology and Asgard crystal technology.  The Asgard are aliens significantly more advanced then we are."  He turned the small device over in his hand.  He hoped his face wasn't giving away how at a loss he felt at her words. 

            He was holding alien technology and she understood it enough to engineer something entirely new out of it.  "It's a prototype I'm developing and testing.  There's nothing on it but my personal journal, pictures, and some correspondence.  There are some specs for technology I was working on, but it's nothing I don't have in my head.  I don't need anything on that device to build what's there and more."  Great, she could be a threat to his world with nothing but her knowledge.  She'd just confirmed that for him.  Did she get that?

            "Wow."  She said running her hands over her face in frustration.  "I didn't mean that the way it sounded.  They were right about sending you."  He didn't comment.  He'd already noticed that she'd given him much more information in the day they'd been together then in all the time she'd been interrogated.  She was right.  They knew what they were doing when they'd assigned him to evaluate her.  He felt a little of his anger slipping and he grabbed on to it with both hands.  Without the anger he was vulnerable to her.  He wouldn't allow that to happen again.

            "You admit then that you are withholding knowledge.  You admit you are exactly the threat to this world that everyone thought you might be?"  The cold finality of his voice must have gotten to her.  She turned another shade paler if that was even possible. 

            "No.  It's not like that."  Sam stated emphatically.  "O'Neill, please just wait until we land.  Get me a laptop or a computer and I will let you see whatever you want to on the drive."  Sam was fairly composed, but he could see the desperation underneath.  He didn't blame her for being scared.  She'd buried herself by hiding the device.  She had to know that.  "We lose data going through the Stargate unless it is on a highly shielded computer.  I developed the drive trying to find a safer way to back up and physically transfer data."

            She paused like she was waiting for him to say something, but he wasn't ready to do more than listen at the moment.  "By a totally random strange set of circumstances I had it on me when we came through the gate.  I knew that it would be taken from me and it was the only connection I had to my old life, to you."  Sam reached out to touch his sleeve. 

            "Don't" he wasn't ready for that either. 

            Sam didn't comment but just dropped her hand back to her lap and continued on.  "I hid it.  Not because I needed something on it but because I couldn't stand the idea of anyone else going through my memories.  I hid it because I'm alone here and I needed it to keep me sane."

            Some of his anger did slip.  Her pain and loss had been plain for him to see from the moment they'd met.  She could be telling the truth.  He had to know.  "We can fix that right now.  I have a laptop with me."  He turned back to her as he started to get up.

            "Where would I go?"  She asked, guessing at what he was going to say.  He didn't bother to answer her, but went to retrieve the laptop from his gear.  Barely 20 minutes later she was finishing up writing a program that would allow him access to the drive she'd placed in the USB port of his computer.  He'd watched her carefully.  He didn't like computers but he knew enough to realize she was very good.

            "Here."  She handed him the laptop.  "It is now ‘F' drive.  You simply access it the same as you would your CD drive.  The folders are clearly labeled.  Pictures are pictures.  The video folder is mostly conversations between me and people back on Earth when I was in Atlantis. The other folders are notes, journals, or whatever is stated on the label."  He took the computer from her without comment.  He had too many conflicting feelings running around his head.  He didn't want to think about how hard it was going to be if he had to kill this woman or recommend she be imprisoned for the rest of her life.  The way things were going at this point that was the path they were on.


	8. chapter 8 - Blinded by the light

Chapter 8 - Blinded by the Light

 

            The pictures seemed as safe a place to start as any.  He randomly clicked a file within the folder.  The screen was filled with Carter, Jackson, a huge black man, and his other self standing in front of a temple of some type.  Carter was standing between him and the black man with the gold design on his forehead.  She looked like she was only putting up with the picture, not that she really wanted it.  Jackson was on the other side of him looking happy.  Jack looked at the other him.  He looked happy, content, but aged.  He carried more weight than Jack did, his face seemed more lined, a few different scars but it was his face.  "Now that is just weird." he muttered under his breath.   

            She must have heard him.  "The picture was taken on PX4-383.  Daniel had been showing one of the kids there his camera and she wanted to take a picture of us.  That is SG1, the original one.  I was actually in charge of SG1 at that point.  Cam wasn't a part of the team until much later.  You just came through with us because you said you were bored and Teal'c missed you.  The man there is Teal'c." she said pointing to emblem guy.

            "So a picture of an alien taken on another planet and I was there because the alien missed me," he shook his head in wonder.  She spoke about space and aliens as if it were common place to her.  Most of the stuff he'd been told about SG1 still felt like science fiction to him.  As much as he loved the stars he never expected to meet someone that was comfortable out among them.

            "Look at the one labeled Atlantis." she directed not seeming to notice his momentary lack of attention.  "That's a city in another galaxy altogether."  Jack followed her direction and felt his eyes go wide.  The shot was taken from the air as they approached the city he was guessing.  The huge city with castle like spiral skyscrapers in various shades of grey and white floated in the middle of an ocean.  It was amazing.  "Atlantis, as in lost city of?" he questioned trying to cover his awe with sarcasm.

            Most of the shots had one or more of SG1 in them.  Many didn't have Jackson so he assumed the Doctor must have been behind the camera.  A few showed an obviously annoyed O'Neill.  Jack smiled.  He was starting to get used to seeing himself in pictures that he had never been in.  It was funny how he always knew what the other him was thinking or feeling in a particular picture.  He'd always thought he had a better poker face, but seemed that if you know what to look for he was an open book.  That didn't sit well with him.

            Pushing aside the thought of how much of an open book he probably was to the woman next to him Jack clicked on the next set of pictures.  He wasn't prepared for the image that expanded on the screen.  Jack recognized the deck at his cabin in Minnesota right away.  Sam was leaning back against him on the built in bench.  She was asleep.  The computer next to her was closed and she was curled against his chest.  He was gesturing with his beer, obviously telling whoever had the camera to be quiet.  The whole scene was incredibly idyllic and peaceful.  He did not need a reminder of how close he'd come to laying hope for that kind of life at the feet of a near stranger.

            Having had enough of the pictures of his ‘other' life, Jack looked over to notice that Sam was no longer watching, she was staring out of the window, her face blank.  Jack crushed the sympathy he felt for her and clicked open the video file.  The files were labeled by dates, not by content so he picked one and clicked on it.

            As Jack's own face appeared live and up close on the screen, he took a deep breath and steeled himself to continue.  Seeing photos was nothing compared to the surreal feel of watching another Jack O'Neill's face move closer in the screen, turning this way and that as the man obviously examined the camera.  He was too close to the lenses and only his eyeball was visible for a moment before he backed up and took his seat.  "Testing, Testing... how am I doing Carter?"  His other self tapped the screen a few times making the mike squeal.

            "The camera and mike are working just fine Sir," he could hear her voice and the amusement in it as she emphasized the ‘sir'.

            "Sir," The other's voice rose in question and an eyebrow shot up.  "What's with the ‘sir' Carter?"

            "What's with the ‘Carter', Sir?"  The other him leaned intently to the screen, the amusement evident on his face.

            "Samantha."  he almost purred.  "How am I doing?"

            "Better Jack."  She drew out his name as he had done hers.  "You're doing fine.  Just speak normally and the computer will do the rest."  The camaraderie and love flowing between the two of them was palpable.  He felt like a voyeur, but didn't turn the recording off.

            The other him turned serious.  "So next stop Atlantis.  You did check your luggage, make sure Daniel didn't stow away."  The man on the screen gave a lopsided grin before smiling as the sound of Sam's chuckle came across the recording.  "I'm sorry I can't be there to see you off tomorrow Sam.  Teal'c tells me he is meeting you tomorrow for breakfast."  The face on the screen changed.  The man looked into the camera with so much love it was almost painful for Jack to see.  "I hope you know how much I'm going to miss you and how proud I am of you."  Jack couldn't remember ever being that open with his emotions, even with Sara.   

            "Thank you.  I do know."  As Sam's voice on the screen paused Jack wished again that he could see her face as well.  "I'm going to miss you too.  Sure you can't get away?  Take a little trip to the Pegasus Galaxy?"  Jack glanced over at Sam next to him.  She had her face turned from him slightly and was still staring out the window, but now there were tears running freely down her cheeks.  Jack couldn't stand to see the naked pain in her face.  He barely caught himself as he lifted a hand to comfort her.  Forcing himself to again feel the betrayal he'd felt when he found the device in her hair Jack once again hardened his resolve.  She was very likely a threat to his world and to Charlie.  He dropped his hand and looked back at the screen. 

            "Yes well, the President does owe me one or a few."  The other man had been trying to make her laugh and it had worked.  Jack recognized the face and the tactic.  She sounded so at ease, so happy.  He realized that he had never heard her sound that relaxed before. 

            "Jack," Sam's voice on the recording took on a new quality.  It took him a moment to identify the emotion coming across.  He found it hard to believe that the strong unflappable woman he was coming to know could sound so unsure.  "The Wraith are as big a threat as we've ever faced here, I'll be in charge of a whole expedition, our only outpost in the Pegasus galaxy.  Are you sure I'm ready for this?"  Jack watched his counterpart's face become serious as he listened to the question, "I mean a whole galaxy?  I'm not sure I'm ready."

            "Piece of cake," the man answered, confident as any General sending a trusted commander off on a dangerous mission.  He could see the respect in the other man's eyes.  That O'Neill trusted his Carter not only in the relationship, but as a soldier as well.  That was something Jack didn't do easily and he assumed neither would the O'Neill he was watching on the screen.  "You're a kick ass soldier Colonel; you can out techno babble any of the nerds and you've pulled our collective asses out of the fire more times than I care to count.  You're a national treasure Carter.  I have complete faith in you."  The man on the screen paused, leaning back in his chair considering.  Jack could see the commander go away and the friend begin to emerge again.  "Besides we really didn't have much of a choice." he confessed, the laughter in his eyes the only thing giving lie to his serious face.  "I don't know how to break this to you Sam, but ever since you blew up that sun we've all been a little scared to let you get bored.  You run out of challenges and who knows what you'll do next." 

            As his other self sat back obviously amused with himself, Jack hit the pause button a bit harder then he'd meant to.  He wasn't sure what bothered him the most.  Watching a man who was essentially him have a conversation containing more love and respect then he could ever remember feeling for or from anyone in his adult life, or knowing that the woman sitting quietly on the seat next to him, tears staining her face, had blown up a sun.  Then there was the easy way his other self spoke of the President, traveling to other galaxies.  When he'd read the report on Colonel Carter there had been no mention of a command of her own let alone the command of the Earth expedition in another Galaxy.  His anger drained into a cold dread in the bottom of his gut.

            "Did he mean a sun as in ball of gas, heat a solar system sun?"  Jack asked.

            "Just once." she clarified, "And we were trying to take out a Goa‘uld and his fleet" she defended.

            "Out of missiles?" he questioned sarcastically.  Holding up a hand to forestall her response he let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.  "I'm sorry Sam." he told her honestly, but without really knowing what he was apologizing for.

            "Don't give up on me O'Neill." she told him.  "I'm telling you the truth.  There isn't anything menacing on that drive.  Please just finish going through the folders."

            "Sam."  He reached for her hands to quiet her or maybe because touching her helped quiet the decisions he was making.  "I'm guessing you're telling the truth about the drive thingy."

            "But" she prompted when he didn't seem inclined to go on. 

            "You already know what I'm going to say Carter."  He didn't mean to snap.  "You're a full bird Colonel in an Air Force that has taken on the responsibility of battling aliens in outer space for crying out loud!"  He searched her face.  She had to know what he was thinking.  She had to know why he was thinking it.  She was a threat.  "You blew up a sun because it was the easiest way you could think of to take out an alien fleet.  You were, and maybe still are, in command of Earth's first outpost in another galaxy.  Another me trusts you completely.  He's not just in love with you Sam.  He respects you as a soldier and has total faith in you!"  In his book all of that should speak for itself.  This woman was capable of doing serious damage all on her own should she decide to. 

            He reached for one last way out for both of them.  "Can you give me your word that you will do nothing to try to change this timeline back to yours?"  Jack questioned, silently willing her to take the out.  He waited for her to answer all the while knowing what that answer would be.  When she dropped her head and wouldn't meet his eyes he wasn't surprised, but he wanted to hear her say the words.  He felt the disappointment deep in his gut. 

            Reaching out to lift her chin and make her face him when she answered, Jack felt as if his stomach was floating for a moment.  A bright light blinded him and suddenly he was standing next to Sam.  His computer was on the floor next to him and a little grey being that looked a lot like the Roswell alien was only a few feet away from them coming around some type of console.


	9. Chapter 9 -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Important AN: About the Asgard: I mentioned in the description that this is an AU story. I hate that the PTB killed off the Asgard in such an ignoble and to me unrealistic way. It seemed to me to have been a cheap plot device that never made any sense. So in my universe Thor's people are still alive. They never gave up on life and committed mass suicide. I hope that doesn't turn anyone off of reading. If it does I apologize. If I had mentioned the Asgard before I totally would have tipped you off to where I was going with the story. As a reader I like to be surprised and am hoping that everyone here feels the same way.

Chapter 9 - Cab rides

 

            Sam was aware of Jack stepping in front of her to shield her from the alien that he believed was abducted them.  She was so relieved by the Asgard commander's timely arrival she barely registered O'Neill's protective stance.  Sliding past him she flung her arms around the little alien.  "Thor!" she exclaimed as she squeezed him.  She leaned back from the hug still gripping his shoulders. Thor's eyes blinked wider as his long arms continued to pat her back.  His look brought a smile to her face.

            "It is good to find you well Colonel Carter."  Sam was surprised to find the Asgard embracing her back.  The few times that she'd become emotional enough to hug him he'd always seemed to endure it with good natured forbearance, but today Thor seemed to take comfort from her presence as well.  That could not be a good sign.  As Sam released Thor, he patted her back once more and focused on Jack.  The alien's intense scrutiny must have been a little disconcerting, but Jack didn't react. 

            "Howdy," he offered before turning back to Sam.  "A friend of yours?" he asked.  He sounded so much like her Jack, Sam heart clenched.  Sitting by while O'Neill watched such an intensely private conversation between her and the man she'd just lost left her feeling drained emotionally.  She tried to push back the grief that threatened to overwhelm her.  Jack was dead, but he was also standing beside her in the form of a stranger. 

            "You are the O'Neill from this timeline."  Thor observed.

            Sam's head snapped around.  This had to be her Thor.  An alternate timeline Thor wouldn't have known her, wouldn't have beamed her and Jack up and certainly wouldn't have taken comfort from her hug.  But how would he be able to tell that she was the correct Sam or that Jack wasn't?  The familiar comfort of questions flying through her mind and puzzles to solve starting to push the grief back.  Keep focused, don't feel, she warned herself.  "How do you know that?"  Sam interrupted before O'Neill could answer Thor's question.  "How do you know that I'm from your timeline but he isn't?"

            "When I arrived in orbit and began my scan I detected you Colonel Carter because of the naqahdah in your system.  O'Neill by your side did not surprise me, but when I scanned him the genetic marker we placed in his DNA after Loki's experiments was missing, as well as traces left behind by the library of the Ancients."  Thor turned back to O'Neill.  "I can only conclude that you were somehow protected from the temporal changes while O'Neill was not."

            While Thor's arrival did give her hope and a sense of purpose Sam found herself still having trouble coming down from the intensity of the last hour on the plane.  Trying to concentrate on the situation at hand as an emotional buffer, she turned back to O'Neill.  The intensity of his gaze as she met his eyes brought a flush to her face but she kept her voice steady. 

            "This is Thor, supreme commander of the Asgard fleet."  Sam introduced.  "One of the good guys," she added.  "He's an ally."

            "You call a cab Carter?"  O'Neill's voice was cautious, more accusation then question.  She recognized the tone and his look.  He was seriously pissed but analyzing his options before dealing with the object of his ire, which she was fairly certain, was her.  It felt strange to see Jack O'Neill so on edge with Thor.  The Asgard commander was one of the few beings Jack trusted enough to relax around.  There was no help for it.  She'd deal with him later.  Right now she needed answers.

            "I'm not sure what's going on O'Neill."  He probably thought she'd planned this all along.  Sam tried not to think too much about what she'd allowed to happen on the plane or what the outcome of O'Neill's discovery would have been if they hadn't been beamed away.  She could still feel the tears drying on her face.  She'd been mortified to lose it in front of O'Neill as she'd listened to her Jack's voice full of love and his special brand of humor.  She had little doubt Thor had just saved her life or at very least her freedom, but his being there and not being affected by Ba'al's changes made no sense.  Her brain kicked into full gear with the possibilities.  "How are you here Thor?" she questioned.  "How do you still know me?  How did the changes to the timeline not affect you?"

            "You have to let the little guy get a word or two in between questions Carter."  O'Neill interrupted from right beside her.  Sam jumped.  He'd picked up his computer and moved alongside her without her even noticing.  Her glare was met with a satisfied smirk. 

            "Now that the Replicators have been defeated and our world rebuilt, there is more time for scientific pursuit.  I found the unanswered question of how the human form Replicators were able to manipulate the time dilation device and escape the gravitational effects of the black hole intriguing.  The O'Neill was encased in temporal shielding so that I might study the area..."

            "...without being subject to the relativistic effects of the event horizon" Sam finished for him.  "So when the timeline changed you weren't affected at all."

            "Hang on a second."  O'Neill interrupted.  He held up a finger between them.  His face was lined with confusion and Sam understood immediately.  She'd seen that look too many times and worked too many years with Jack not to understand what O'Neill was questioning.

            "The O'Neill is this ship." she stated, enjoying the look of awe that crossed his face before he looked down at Thor. 

            "You named your ship after him?"  O'Neill's gaze swept the bridge of the ship with his eyes wide.

            "The ship is named for you O'Neill.  It is the second such ship.  Some years ago Colonel Carter and I destroyed the first."  Thor went on to explain.

            "O..kay..." O'Neill processed that piece of information.  "But you do get that I am not the Jack O'Neill you named this ship after?"  Sam wasn't surprised that he picked up that piece of Thor's explanation to question the Asgard commander about.

            "O'Neill, the ship is named for you."  Thor reiterated.  "You are the same Jack O'Neill that has been a friend to the Asgard for so many years.  Your life has been altered by the temporal changes that are now acting upon us all.  We will attempt to correct what was done."  Sam dropped her head refusing to meet O'Neill's eyes and see the realization hit him that they were going to do exactly the thing he was so dedicated to stopping.  Since she'd watched him die weeks ago she'd been put through the emotional wringer.  Thor was here.  There would be a chance to put things right again.  She had to concentrate on that.

            The picture Jack kept on the fireplace mantel of Charlie came unbidden to mind.  How could she fix her timeline knowing what it would mean to the man standing beside her?  She'd have to fight O'Neill.  She knew he suspected where this was all headed, and as soon as he was sure and could come up with a way, he'd be fighting to stop anything Thor or she did.  Of course Thor could just put him back on the planet and bring up Cam and Daniel and there would be nothing that he could do.  If the timeline could be changed back Jack would know nothing of any of this, but she would know. 

            Charlie's death had nearly killed Jack O'Neill.  She hadn't known him right in the beginning, but she knew most of what had happened after his son's death.  He'd come close to eating a bullet from the very same gun that had taken Charlie's life.  He'd told her that.  Daniel hadn't spoken often of what Jack was like on that first mission, but the little he did say broke Sam's heart.  Could she ever face Jack again knowing that she had killed Charlie?  It didn't matter that he wouldn't know once the timeline was reset, she would know.

            Sam heard O'Neill asking Thor questions, but the questions in her own mind kept drowning them out.  She saw Mitchell as he'd been taken him away the last time.  She saw Daniel being fitted with a prosthetic the last time she'd been allowed to visit him.  She thought of Teal'c and Vala, the free Jaffa, the Tokra.  She had no right to decide for them that Jack's son was more important than their lives.  Sam clenched her hands into fists at her side.  She knew what she should do, but she wasn't sure that she could look Jack in the face now as O'Neill and be the one to sentence his son to die once again. 

            "Carter" she blinked at finding O'Neill right in front of her trying to get her attention.  "Sam" he gripped her shoulder.  "I know you want things back like they were, but you've got to know I can't let that happen." he was telling her.  Sam felt her heart shattering into a hundred pieces.  She didn't have any choice.  As much as she loved Jack O'Neill and would do anything to spare him the pain of losing his son she didn't have a choice.

             The words she'd spoken to O'Neill barely an hour ago echoed in her mind.  ‘I see an amazing man capable of making hard decisions to keep this world safe no matter what the personal cost she'd said to him.  How ironic that those words would be what gave her strength now.  She met his eyes and steeled herself for what was coming.  No matter how she stated it or what she tried to tell him was at stake, he'd never agree to changing the timeline and ending his son's existence.  By the end of this conversation she and Jack O'Neill would be in a place she'd never thought possible before today.  Jack would have his every suspicion and fear confirmed.  He'd see her as his enemy and they would be pitted against each other. 

 


	10. Snap Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate or any of the characters you recognize. I'm just borrowing them for entertainment. There is no monetary gain and no copyright infringement intended.
> 
> AN: Thank you again for all the comments and reviews. Thanks again to Gategirl7 for her amazing beta skills. Any remaining mistakes are mine alone

Previously:

The words she'd spoken to O'Neill barely an hour ago echoed in her mind. ‘I see an amazing man capable of making hard decisions to keep this world safe no matter what the personal cost' she'd said to him. How ironic that those words would be what gave her strength now. She met his eyes and steeled herself for what was coming. No matter how she stated it or what she tried to tell him was at stake he'd never agree to changing the timeline and ending his son's existence. By the end of this conversation she and Jack O'Neill would be in a place she'd never before today thought possible. Jack would have every suspicion and fear confirmed. He'd see her as his enemy and they would be pitted against each other.

Chapter 10 - Snap Decisions

"You call a cab Carter?" Jack couldn't keep his suspicion out of his voice. He was trying to tread lightly. The balance of power had shifted. The little alien barely came up above his waist, but he changed the stakes entirely. Thor could simply send Jack back to the plane and he'd be effectively neutralized while these two worked on a way to make his world not exist. Charlie would be gone and there would be nothing he could do.

Especially careful to cover his emotions around this woman who could read him so well, Jack thought through Sam's reaction to Thor's arrival. She'd seemed relieved, yes, but she'd been almost as surprised as he was. Couple that with the questions that she was asking and Jack thought it was possible that maybe she hadn't known the alien was planning on dropping by for a visit. If that was true then she didn't have a plan and he still had a chance. He wasn't sure what kind of a chance, but he was willing to take any break he could get.

Not allowing himself to analyze the reality of his situation too closely, Jack reached for ideas. Don't get stuck on Thor being an alien. Don't think about the fact that you are in space on a spaceship, concentrate on finding a way to stay on the ship and make a difference he told himself.

"You have to let the little guy get a word or two in between questions Carter." Jack pointed out from right beside Sam's elbow. She'd been so deep in concentration and bombarding the alien with so many questions Jack had been able to pick up the laptop and move to stand next to her without her noticing. He smirked, satisfied at her startled jump and the dirty look she threw him. She'd been the one throwing things like hair ornament memory devices, spaceships, aliens, and floating mythological cities at him for the last few hours. He wasn't going to berate himself for feeling a little satisfaction at making her jump.

Jack listened to Carter and Thor discuss how the alien had ended up with them on the ship. As he tried to follow the rapid fire conversation between the two looking for something he could use, the little alien suggested that Jack was stuck in some kind of a field that was protecting him. Frowning in confusion, he turned to Carter. "Hang on a second." O'Neill interrupted. He held up a finger between them.

"The O'Neill is this ship." She rightly guessed his question without having to be asked. Wow this woman could read him, he thought before what she said hit him. The ship was named after him, well the other him. Holly Buckets. He spared Sam an incredulous look.

Sure his mouth was hanging down to his feet at that point, Jack snapped it shut and turned to Thor. He wasn't sure how the little alien managed such an air of supreme calm with those huge black eyes. "You named your ship after him?" Jack's gaze swept the bridge of the ship. Naming a ship after someone was big, but another race of beings naming a ship after you was huge.

Jack thought about the other Jack O'Neill. Was that man somehow more then he was? Was he a hero? So far they'd seemed pretty much the same. It had been strange to watch the other O'Neill on video, but he'd been struck with how similar in reaction they were. Maybe he'd been wrong. The man was a general with aliens for friends. Jack worked in the background. He did what needed to be done. Often what other people couldn't do. Ships were named after great men, after heroes. Uncomfortably with the implications the ship's name had for him, Jack reminded himself that they were talking about another Jack O'Neill, not him.

"The ship is named for you O'Neill." It was as if the little guy read his mind, Jack decided resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "It is the second such ship. Some years ago Colonel Carter and I destroyed the first." Thor explained. Talk about friends in high places. You are so far out of your element on this one O'Neill, he told himself. Unsure what the proper response to that statement would be, Jack went with satisfying his curiosity.

"O..kay... But you do get that I am not the Jack O'Neill you named this ship after?" Maybe pointing that out wasn't the best option, but he needed to know where he stood with the little guy. Besides for a smart guy, the Asgard didn't seem to get that point.

"O'Neill, the ship is named for you." Thor reiterated. "You are the same Jack O'Neill that has been a friend to the Asgard for so many years. Your life has been altered by the temporal changes that are now acting upon us all. With Colonel Carter's assistance we will figure out what has happened and attempt to correct what was done."

If Thor was trying to comfort him it wasn't working. The alien's words sent surges of Adrenaline coursing into his system. This was exactly what everyone had feared. Correct what was done? Erase his world like it was wrong, like his son being alive was wrong? How many other people were alive in his world and not in hers? He turned to Sam, but she wouldn't meet his eyes. "How do you know that this world is the wrong one?" he asked turning back to the Asgard. "There are people alive now that won't be if you succeed."

"There is more at stake here than the fate of your world O'Neill." Thor pointed out. Jack realized that. Sam had been right when she said he was strong enough to do his duty, but nothing here was showing him that his duty was to help destroy his world, his son, everything he'd fought for all of his adult life. This world was the only one of consequence as far as he was concerned. He was not about to stand by while they wiped it, him, Charlie out of existence.

"Carter" Jack stepped close to her but didn't touch her. She didn't acknowledge him. He could see the pain in her features, the tension in her body. There was no doubt she knew they were on opposite sides of this and he had to stop her. "Sam" he gripped her shoulder harder then he meant to, but the pain seemed to pull her back to him. "I know you want things back like they were for you, but you've got to know I can't let that happen." he told her, still not sure what he was going to do to make that statement a reality. He hated science fiction shows and now he was stuck in a real life one! As impossible a task as it might be, he needed her on his side. Or you need her eliminated from the mix, the strategic, dark side of his nature supplied.

Sam finally met his eyes. The pain and sadness in them felt like a gut punch. He could see her decision was made. He had nothing more then his words to change her mind and little hope of that, but he had to try. "Sam, he's my son." Jack put every ounce of sincerity he felt into his words. The catch in his voice was real.

"O'Neill" she began, straightening her back in resolve. "I think its best if Thor beams you..."

"I'm Jack, Sam" he interrupted, "No more O'Neill. I'm just Jack. You both have said that I am him, me. It's just me Sam." Way to play dirty O'Neill, he acknowledged to himself. Playing dirty was the lesser of the evils he was considering. "You know me better probably then anyone ever has, whether you're talking about the man standing in front of you right now or the one saved on your hair piece." He'd gotten to her, she smiled for a moment at his name for her USB drive. Good. The second she finished her sentence and asked Thor to beam him back to the plane Charlie was as good as dead. "How do you know that this change wasn't supposed to happen? What makes you think this world is any less valuable then yours was? Aren't you doing exactly what you accused Ba'al and those others of doing? Aren't you playing god with all of us?"

"Jack, you have to understand. There is so much more at stake here then either of us. It's not that simple." She was withdrawing further into herself. He could see the military officer replacing the woman. His inability to reach her and his helplessness was beginning to piss him off. Jack O'Neill was not good at being powerless, especially when there was so much riding on the outcome. Struggling to keep his anger in check, he searched for a way to get through to her.

Make it simple, keep it personal for her, he told himself. "Can you do it Sam?" Jack took a step back and spread his long legs to the side slightly to lower his height and bring him level with her. Staring into her eyes he reached for her, a little surprised when she didn't back away. He laid his left hand along her cheek, his long fingers caressing her jaw line. With his right hand he pulled her a little closer and kneaded the back of her neck soothingly. One last time he tried to get through to her even as he positioned himself for more options.

"Look at me and tell me that you can send me back to that plane and kill my son. Tell me that if you succeed in making this world disappear you won't wake up next to the me you remember, unable to meet my eyes because you will know that you took my son from me." She couldn't stop the tears that wet the back of his hands, but she didn't flinch away from him.

"You're not being fair Jack." Her voice was quiet, but sure. "I know it's you. I know that even though you won't remember I will." Her voice was sad, but he detected steel under her words. She let him see the pain in her before she put her own hands over his and closed her eyes for just a second. He wondered if she was memorizing the feel of him. Then her eyes opened knowingly. She'd recognized the placement of his hands on her face and neck.

Shock went through him as she calmly dropped her hands from his and straightened under his hold but made no attempt to step away from him. "Now the question would be, can you do it Jack?" she challenged, despair clearly written on her face. "I know you know how. I know you're thinking about it. Just tighten your hands, shift your weight and the threat you see me as disappears with the snap of my neck." Her eyes challenged him to deny what she was saying, but they both knew she was right. He'd been lining himself up so that if he couldn't talk her out of her course of action he could end her life and her ability to be a threat. Yeah the little alien guy would probably kill him and maybe change the timeline on his own, but right now it was the best option Jack had.


	11. Intentions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate or any of the characters you recognize. I'm just borrowing them for entertainment. There is no monetary gain and no copyright infringement intended.
> 
> AN: This chapter has a bit of science in it. I did quite a bit of research and found a theory that fit what I was trying to do, but I am not a science major not to mention I have been out of school a great many years. In my head the science fits. The theory works for what I need, but please remember that while this is an adventure, it is ultimately my way of exploring two characters I really enjoy. In other words please be kind with me on the science part if you don't agree with my interpretation. I did the best I could do.
> 
> As always thank you Gategirl7 for all of your help! Your editing skills and patience with all the brainstorming and questions is awesome. Thank you! Any mistakes remaining are mine alone.

Previously:

Shock went through him as she calmly dropped her hands from his and straightened under his hold but made no attempt to step away from him. "Now the question would be, can you do it Jack?" she challenged, despair clearly written on her face. "I know you know how. I know you're thinking about it. Just tighten your hands, shift your weight and the threat you see me as disappears with the snap of my neck." Her eyes challenged him to deny what she was saying, but they both knew she was right. He'd been lining himself up so that if he couldn't talk her out of her course of action he could end her life and her ability to be a threat. Yeah the little alien guy would probably kill him and maybe change the timeline on his own, but right now it was the best option Jack had.

Chapter 11 - Intentions

Sam felt the blood drain from her face. When Jack reached for her she hadn't thought, just reacted. She wanted to feel him one more time before she sent him back to the plane and proceeded to forever end any chance she had with Jack O'Neill, General or Colonel. For a moment she'd let the warmth of his touch soothe her. She almost hadn't recognized his hold on her, the placement of his thumbs along her jaw line, the position of his hands along her cheek and the back of her neck, his stance. The shock set in as she watched him very subtly change his balance and position his body so that all he had to do was shift his weight and twist at the same time and her life would quite literally end in a snap.

If it had been anyone else she'd have reacted. She would have never allowed herself to be in the position that she was in, but it was Jack. She could call him O'Neill all she wanted, but her heart just saw Jack. Gently covering his hands with her own and closing her eyes, Sam fought for calm. She knew better then to try to remove his hands. She was completely vulnerable. She searched for an answer but couldn't think of anything.

Sam reeled at the shock of contemplating death at Jack O'Neill's hands. If she had any doubt that this timeline was fundamentally wrong then this one moment confirmed it. She couldn't think of any physical option that wouldn't lead to her immediate death. Holding herself still, Sam dropped her hands and opened her eyes. His face was so cold she shivered, but as Jack met her eyes and realized she knew what he was thinking his mask slipped. For just a moment she saw pain and regret swirling in his almost black gaze before the walls slammed shut again. That brief moment gave her hope.

SG1 had never encountered a universe or reality where Jack O'Neill and Samantha Carter weren't intimately connected in some way. She fought to believe that in the end Jack wouldn't take her life. This Jack O'Neill believes he is protecting his world, a voice in the back of her mind whispered. This man doesn't know you. The fear and doubt kept replaying in her head.

Trying to steady her breathing Sam focused on the man in front of her. His face was so close she could feel his breath. He was breathing fast too. As cold as his face was, he was just as affected as she was. His hands were warm and sure on her neck. Sam was shocked to find her body quickening as Jack's kiss on the plane flashed in her mind. His hands had been strong on her then too as he'd held her still and taken her mouth with no hesitation or restraint. His touch then hadn't been about killing her, it had been about possession her, claiming her. She knew the taste and feel of Jack O'Neill too well to mistake his intent. No universe could be so wrong that this man would kill her she told herself, the heady mixture of fear and remembered passion making her head swim.

"Can you do it Jack?" she questioned him, her heart slamming into her chest. "I know you know how. I know you're thinking about it. Just tighten your hands, shift your weight and the threat you see me as disappears with the snap of my neck." Her eyes challenged him to deny what she was saying, but they both knew she was right. Jack's eyes bore into her. His hesitation suspended between them. Adrenaline pumped into her bloodstream as she felt his fingers flex and watched his body tense.

"Please do not O'Neill." When had Thor approached them? Neither Jack nor Sam moved. "To revive her would take time in the medical pod that we do not have." After another moment Jack released her and stepped back. Sam searched his eyes. He didn't look away for a moment, but returned her scrutiny. Was she right or wrong in her faith in him? Would he have killed her? Would he have snapped her neck? She could still feel the warmth of his hands on her skin. His fingers had been gentle, almost caressing as he'd considered ending her life. Sam shivered and raised her hand to her neck. His eyes followed her movement and for a moment he stared at her neck before visibly pulling himself away from her and focusing on Thor. Sam wanted to believe she saw regret in his face, but she was too shaken to be sure.

"O'Neill, I am aware that you do not now understand the place that you have earned among the Asgard or with me. I will not abandon you, but neither will I allow you to harm Colonel Carter. She has earned an equal place. You are both my friends." Turning his back on both of them, Thor walked over to the console and started to manipulate the control crystals. She was not really surprised that Thor wasn't going to beam Jack away. She knew Jack was. She saw the quizzical, confused look he sent the alien before his body relaxed marginally.

"I guess our little buddy isn't going to let you shut me out." Jack's voice was barely a whisper, but she jumped at his nearness before she could catch herself. His eyes narrowed before he nodded his head and stepped out of her space.

"And he's not going to let you snap my neck." she pointed out, her heart breaking at the relief she felt when he'd stepped away from her.

"But you're both still trying to kill me, my son and end my world." He didn't wait for her answer before following Thor.

Sam realized that she still had her hand pressed against her neck. Dropping it self consciously, she wiped her hands on the front of her pants. Pull yourself together, she admonished. She had a job to do. She would deal with what had just happened later, or not at all, but now was not the time.

Thor was explaining to Jack about paradoxes and how time and space existed together. "You see O'Neill, we must repair the damage done or the very fabric of time and space will be ripped apart. Everything you know including the world as it now exists will come to an end."

***

"You see O'Neill, we must repair the damage done or the very fabric of time and space will be ripped apart. Everything you know including the world as it now exists will come to an end." Even focused on Thor, Jack was aware that Sam hadn't followed them. He could tell that she was lost in her own thoughts. He almost called to her just as she seemed to snap back to them. Obviously having heard the alien's statement Sam's eyes flew to Thor's. O'Neill watched her drop her hand from her neck and almost run to the console he and Thor stood at. He didn't miss how she went out of her way to keep the alien between her body and his. He didn't look at her, but concentrated on what the two scientists beside him were saying. He didn't want to think about what he had been prepared to do a few minutes ago.

Jack resisted the urge to rub his own hands on his pants. He couldn't get the feel of her pulse jumping under his fingers as she realized what he was considering out of his mind. Sam hadn't panicked, she hadn't pleaded; she'd challenged him. He could completely understand why she was wearing his mother's ring around her neck. Samantha Carter was a woman you'd be lucky to meet once in a lifetime.

Thor moved a few more controls and a picture of what must be 50 or more pyramid shaped ships appeared on screen. "This is Ba'al's fleet. He is at present on his way to Earth. It will take him three months assuming he makes no stops along the way."

"This is what you were talking about?" Jack asked Sam. He didn't like the way that she avoided his eyes. He didn't have time to fix the damage he'd just done. Hell he didn't know if he even could, but he found himself wishing for the chance. "It's what all of you were talking about. You were right Sam. Earth will not survive. We have nothing to stand up to those guys." Looking at the overwhelming odds, Jack didn't really see how Sam could have helped without Thor's presence. "What do we do? Can you stop a fleet that size?"

"The fleet isn't important." Sam stated, holding up her hand to forestall the outburst she must have seen coming. "If we can't fix the rip that Thor is talking about we will all be destroyed." She sighed and focused on him. "Let me explain it to you this way O'Neill." He flinched at her use of that name, but didn't correct her. Jack was fully aware Sam used his last name as a way to remind herself to keep her distance. He supposed he deserved that. "It is theorized that time is fluid. It can bend, change, be manipulated, but only to a point. Changes that might not be small to us, but in the cosmic level are fairly insignificant can exist. We could go back in time and change an event that would change our whole world. In context of this world that would be huge, but overall if the changes were limited to one planet they really wouldn't be that monumental. Time-space would accommodate the changes."

She seemed to be waiting for some sign from him. "Ok." He rolled his hand in the air for her to continue. "I can get that. You are saying the changes Ba'al's little hat trick made are not limited to a planet or two?"

"Right" Sam agreed. "They are huge apparently."

"The effects have radically changed the history of this whole galaxy as well as several others." Thor added.

"The time-space continuum can simply not accommodate changes on that kind of scale." Sam went on to explain.

"How can the effects be so wide spread from one change on Earth?" He didn't understand. Even in her timeline they only had the ability to travel to other planets. They didn't seem to be a powerful force dominating the universe. Surely the human race traveling among the stars wouldn't make that big of a difference to several galaxies.

Thor began flipping through images on the computer as he spoke. "I am unsure of all the particulars, but I surmise that it has much to do with the influence of SG1."

Jack locked eyes with Sam. Her expression was only slightly less incredulous then his. She shook herself away from his gaze and turned back to Thor. "I know we made a difference to our world, and we contributed to so many others, but enough to cause a total wave function collapse?" she questioned. Thor stopped flipping through images and pulled one up of a very alien looking city in ruin.

"This is a picture of the Asgard capital city taken right before I came to Earth." Thor explained. "In this timeline the Replicators were never defeated. I found no Asgard still alive." Jack heard the catch in the alien's voice before calm was restored. "This is a picture of Cimmeria," he showed them a picture of a world burnt and dead. Thor continued to show them images of destruction. "The Replicators are working their way toward this galaxy. They are attracted by Asgard metals, but they will devour anything in their path. It is only a matter of time until they overtake the galaxy."

"The Replicators are not the only change. As I traveled I scanned many planets that SG1 and other teams had visited. Of those that were once free, more then half are now Goa'uld occupied or destroyed." Sam stood in shock. Jack wasn't sure what to make of the images and information.

"You mean to say that we Earthlings" he began.

"Tauri" Sam corrected. "The rest of the universe calls us the Tauri. It means first world. We are the first world."

"You mean to say that we Tauri" he raised an eyebrow at her in question and continued at her nod. "You mean to say we've made that much of a difference out here?"

"And more I would say." Sam supplied. "I didn't realize it until now, but we've affected the Pegasus galaxy the same way. Our expedition woke the Wraith; we've brokered deals, made alliances. Atlantis is a power base in that galaxy."

Sam looked at him in confusion and wonder. He felt the connection between them reestablish itself for a moment as they both took in the magnitude of what was changed when the timeline was altered. Jack didn't have to understand everything being shown to him to know that this needed fixing. He felt overwhelmed. How could they change so much? Sam must have been feeling it too. She was braced on the control console. Her weight was heavily against her arms and her shoulders were slumped. He knew physically comforting her was out of the question so he went on to what was uppermost on his priority list.

"So Ba'al fuzted with time and broke it." he concluded pinching the bridge of his nose and rocking back on his feet. He could see that changing the timeline back to hers was where this was all leading. Now that he was beginning to accept the necessity of helping, he wanted to know what was involved and the consequences of success and failure. He needed all the facts. Charlie, his heart screamed. They couldn't expect that he would simply abandon his efforts to save his son.

"What happens if we aren't able to fix this?" He didn't like the look that crossed either of the faces. It was amazing how alive Thor's face was. Jack was beginning to be able to read the alien's expressions.

"The retro causality will result in the time-space continuum being ripped apart. Time and space will cease to exist as we know it O'Neill." Thor was saying.

"I didn't even know that was possible." Sam said in a quiet voice. "There will quite literally be nothing left. I'm not even sure what comes after something like that. Do you have any idea how to fix this?" She looked to Thor, but he simply blinked his huge black eyes and shrugged. Jack blinked. Aliens shrugged? He shook his head at the human expression expressed by thin grey shoulders.

"I am unsure Samantha Carter." The little alien confirmed. Jack looked back and forth between the two. Sam could almost read his thoughts and she found herself agreeing. If the alien with the big honking space ship didn't know what to do to fix the problem or even where to start then what chance did they have?


	12. Yellow Snacks and Stupid Ideas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate or any of the characters you recognize. I'm just borrowing them for entertainment. There is no monetary gain and no copyright infringement intended.
> 
> AN: Thank you everyone for sticking with me and letting me know what you think. The reviews and emails have been great. I love hearing all the opinions whether they agree with mine or not and criticism as long as it is constructive will never be taken the wrong way. As always a major thank you Gategirl7 for all of your help! Your editing skills and patience with all the brainstorming and questions is awesome. Any mistakes remaining are mine alone.

Previously:

"I didn't even know that was possible." Sam said in a quiet voice. "There will quite literally be nothing left. I'm not even sure what comes next after something like that. Do you have any idea how to fix this?" She looked to Thor, but he simply blinked his huge black eyes and shrugged. Jack blinked. Aliens shrugged? He shook his head at the human expression articulated by thin grey shoulders.

"I am unsure Samantha Carter." The little alien confirmed. Jack looked back and forth between the two. If the alien with the big honking space ship didn't know what to do to fix the problem then what chance did they have?

Chapter 12 - Yellow Snacks and Stupid Ideas

"We start at the beginning." Jack broke in. Sam exchanged a look with Thor. "I mean how did he do it?" Jack's simplistic way of looking at things was so familiar that Sam felt a little of her shock lifting. "Just seems like if we figure out how he did it then couldn't you find a way to hit the reset button or something?" She couldn't help the quick smile that crossed her lips. He was still fundamentally Jack she thought, pushing their earlier encounter into a tightly locked space in her mind. She'd deal with that later, after they found a way to stop the universe from imploding and killing them all.

"Ba'al had to have found some kind of device that allowed him to do this," Sam considered. Thinking out loud as much for herself as for Thor, she explained in detail what she remembered to Thor of the events surrounding the change. "I would bet it is some kind of an ancient device. He was exploring ancient technology after Anubis was defeated," she finished.

Thor considered for a moment. "I am uncertain how to detect the origins of the disturbance. At a closer range it would be possible, but without a direction to look in the process will take more time then we have available to us," he concluded. How did you determine a direction when you didn't know what you were looking for and all of your allies didn't exist or were dead? Sam turned to Jack. She wasn't sure what she thought he might add, but she couldn't help turning to him.

"I'm sorry Carter," he said, coming around the console. She forced herself not to tense. She wanted his presence. She'd been grateful he'd correctly interpreted her silent appeal to him for help, but she wasn't ready to be within arms reach. "I got nothing," he concluded being careful not to crowd her. She'd seen his hesitation when she'd tensed. The pang of guilt she'd seen cross O'Neill's face helped. Sam relaxed a fraction as she began to pace.

"I'm missing something." Sam turned to Thor uncertainly. She could feel the knowledge floating around just out of reach.

"I am unsure how to help you Colonel Carter," Thor commented. "I believe our best chance may be one of your stupid ideas. I, too, have nothing." The remark was so dead pan and the look on Jack's face was so priceless Sam nearly lost it.

"Did you just call her stupid?" High pitched and incredulous, Jack's voice set Sam off. Who would have believed it could go that high. Unable to stop herself, she felt her control snap. She felt the tension begin to melt as the laughter finally bubbled out of her uninhibited. For the first time since she'd stepped through the Stargate into this messed up time things were feeling very familiar. Jack still subtly directed, probing and helping even though he had to feel uncomfortable and out of his element. She was still tasked with finding the answers. Thor still had all the faith in the world in them and they still faced impossible odds. It was just another day at the office, as Daniel would say.

Sam noticed Jack leaning toward her as if debating within himself if he should try to calm her. She wasn't ready for him to be in her space yet. Unable to catch her breath for a moment, Sam lightly touched Jack's arm to reassure him and keep him where he was. She'd obviously caught him off guard she thought, watching his eyes jump to hers in surprise. When his nostrils flared as if he was scenting her and his eyes darkened, her body answered in kind. Jack didn't move a muscle, almost like he didn't want to discourage the touch. He raised his eyebrows in question, but the words she was about to say jumped right out of her head. Startled by both his purely masculine response and the intensity of her answering one, Sam sobered, hastily pulling her hand away. She didn't trust this man, but her body hadn't gotten the memo apparently.

"Wow," slipped out before she could catch herself. She narrowed her eyes as Jack's supremely male smile answered her slip. Oh yeah he was aware of what his response to her touch was doing to her. That it had been as natural a reaction to him as it had been to her was apparent, but his awareness of her didn't seem to bother him. Wow, she repeated in her head.

Until that moment Sam didn't realize how much she and her Jack kept their reactions in check, or just how much she depended on him to keep his half of the wall intact so that she could maintain hers. Those walls were so ingrained for both of them that even while establishing a relationship the barriers rarely ever truly fell. Jack O'Neill reacting to her without any of those walls was like wildfire. In the unguarded moments she was sure she was going to catch flame just from the heat in his eyes.

Her brain jumped gears. "That's it!" she shouted as a thought struck. "I knew there was something I was missing." She smiled brightly Jack's way. "Thank you," she said absently, barely noticing his confusion as she spun back to Thor excitedly. "We had a fire in Atlantis not long after I took command. I remember questioning Rodney for a description of one of the devices that had been moved to a new lab. John Shepard named the device Delorean Radar." Seeing the confusion on Thor's face she clarified. "Basically all the device does is keep track of any of the Ancients' ships equipped with time interface devices by tracking temporal changes."

"We go get the Delorean Radar and we can use it to find Ba'al's time machine and get back to the...correct future," Jack supplied looking pleased with himself and his wording.

"Basically," Sam agreed, cocking her head to the side trying to decide how to explain that it wasn't quite that easy and deciding the explanation wasn't worth the effort.

"So road trip?" O'Neill's enthusiasm was contagious as he turned to both of them rubbing his hands together. For a moment he looked so much like her General, that Sam felt tears form. Blinking them away quickly she was grateful to feel Thor beside her.

"You will need supplies," Thor suggested falling right in line. "Unless you wish to share my provisions..."

"Oh no, but thank you," Sam jumped in, cringing as she thought of the last time Thor had offered to share a meal with her. The alien's dry humor pulled her back to the present. "We'll work on supplies. And we need to contact Daniel and Cam." She was already running through plans in her head.

"And then there is the question of Charlie," O'Neill supplied.

Sam froze. She didn't want to go back to where those conversations lead. Before she could form a response Jack was standing in front of her. He didn't step into her space, but he was close. "Look Sam, just hear me out."

***

Jack gathered his thoughts. He was careful not to crowd Sam. He hated that he deserved her reluctance to allow him to touch her, but he'd have to deal with that later. Right now he needed her to listen to him. He knew she was the key. It was obvious that the Asgard commander trusted and respected Carter. If Jack could convince her to help save his son then he was fairly sure that Thor would go along with it. At least that was what he hoped.

"I get that this needs to be done," he began. "I'm in. I'm not sure what I'm in, but I'm in." That got her to smirk a little. It wasn't a smile, but he'd take any improvement over the taut, on guard look she'd adopted the moment he'd mentioned Charlie. "What I do know is that you said time could take some small changes. You called the history of one planet a small change, so how much would it matter to the universe if just one boy didn't die?" Jack winced at the pleading quality in his voice.

Carter's face was thoughtful. He took that as a good sign. "I'm not sure," she answered him. Taking a step toward him, she surprised him by reaching out and taking his hand. He could see her hesitation, it wasn't the unconscious touch of a few minutes ago. She was forcing herself to move closer to him and reach for him. Sam gathered herself before raised her gaze to his. He'd almost killed her less then an hour ago, but the eyes that turned to him were full of compassion, not recrimination. He felt himself humbled by the courage this woman continually showed.

Realizing that Sam wouldn't be putting herself out like this if the news was good O'Neill braced himself. "Jack, I'd do anything to give your son back to you. You've got to believe that." She paused and he knew that there was a 'but' he wasn't going to like. Hold it together O'Neill he reminded himself. Keep reasoning. This woman responded to reason.

"But I can't separate out events. When the timeline is reset everything will go back to how it once was. You won't remember this conversation. You won't remember anything that has happened, because it won't ever happen. I'm not even sure what Ba'al did or what type of device he may have used to do this. Ba'al is obviously traveling through time and remembers, but I have no idea what he is doing or how any of us will be affected. Once we fix this I may not remember either. I just don't know what to expect or how I could possibly save any one person, even Charlie."

Jack could see how much she regretted what she was telling him, but there had to be some way. For God's sake they were standing in space on an alien space ship trading ideas and jokes with a little grey being right out of a Sci-Fi movie of the week. His universe had just expanded to encompass things that no sane person would believe. In all of this there had to be something that could be done to save his son.

"The timeline has reset, at least for your team and Thor," Jack pointed out. "But you remember." Squeezing her hand, he pulled her closer to him. Her widened eyes bothered him. "Sam, I'm no threat to you. Earth is about to be attacked one way or another and I'm with you in protecting her," he told her sincerely, allowing his hands to settle lightly on her upper arms. "You've got to know how much I didn't want...How much I regret..."

Jack stopped himself, not sure how to go there or if he even could at that moment. He'd come so close to intentionally killing her. She didn't trust him, tensed when he was near. He wasn't sure if her compassion was for him or for the Jack she loved. He might not be able to fix what that moment had broken between them he acknowledged to himself, his heart tightening painful in his chest. Clamped down on the despair the thought brought, Jack fought to clear his mind. Don't dwell on what you can't fix right now O'Neill, he admonished himself for getting off track. He had to help Charlie.

Closing his eyes for a moment to gather his thoughts Jack focused on the woman before him. "On that video I called you a national treasure," he pointed out. Grateful she was starting to relax a little, he kept the pressure of his hands on her arms gentle, caressing. She was listening to him, but her face didn't give him hope. "Come on Sam," he implore. "A moment ago my world was just the planet spinning beneath me. A minute ago there were no such things as aliens, especially ones that name a ship after me."

"Two ships O'Neill," supplied a helpful voice from the console behind him. That made them both smile for a second.

"Two ships," he corrected. "Point being, you've opened my eyes in more ways then just this science fiction marathon. Change my life one more time. Give me something to fight beside you for. I realize we need to figure all this out and get on with fixing it, but for just a moment make saving my son the objective and think the problem through." Jack paused to steady his voice. "You're brilliant. I trust you Samantha Carter." He winced as her eyebrows climbed into her hairline at that comment. "I know I have no right to say that or to ask you for anything, but I'm asking."

Jack slid his hands up her arms and allowed them to rest on her shoulders. Careful to keep his stance as open and non-threatening as possible he stepped a little more into her space and held her eyes with his own. "We talk about it, we find there is nothing we can do and I will have to find a way of living with that. No way in hell those ships out there are going to enslave this world like I read in your reports and no way in hell I'll stand by while the universe rips itself apart. I'm just asking you to put that huge honking genius brain to work on how to help my son for a moment."

Did this woman have any idea how she affected him, he wondered. No matter how irrational it was or how much he told himself not to, when she was with him he found himself hoping. Jack slowly reached forward and pulled her dog tags from the top of her shirt by the chain. The flush that colored her face and neck reminded him he hadn't completely ruined everything. Her body still reacted to the heat in his. "For all of us," he stated. Meeting her eyes once more and holding them, Jack allowed the ring to lie on the back of his hand between them, her tags dangling from his fingers. He could feel the heat coming off of the skin above her t-shirt. Their foreheads were almost touching as they both dropped their gaze to the ring anchoring them together.


	13. Toad Stools

Previously:

Did this woman have any idea how she affected him, he wondered. No matter how irrational it was or how much he told himself not to, when she was with him he found himself hoping. Jack slowly reached forward and pulled her dog tags from the top of her shirt by the chain. The flush that colored her face and neck reminded him he hadn't completely ruined everything. Her body still reacted to the heat in his. "For all of us," he stated. Meeting her eyes once more and holding them, Jack allowed the ring to lie on the back of his hand between them, her tags dangling from his fingers. He could feel the heat coming off of the skin above her t-shirt. Their foreheads were almost touching as they both dropped their gaze to the ring anchoring them together.

Chapter 13 Toad Stools

Sam tried not to stiffen when Jack pulled her to him and settled his hands on her upper arms. Intellectually she knew that it no longer made sense for Jack O'Neill to need to end her life. That killing her had ever made sense to him was something she was struggling with. She mentally took a step back from that line of thought. There wasn't time to deal with it now. They had plans to make, supplies to get. Daniel and Cam had to be informed what was going on and given their parts.

"I get that this needs to be done," Jack was saying. "I'm in. I don't quite understand what I'm in, but I'm in." He sounded so much like the Jack she smiled at his choice of words. "What I do know is that you said time could take some small changes. You called the history of one planet a small change so how much would it matter to the universe if just one boy didn't die?" That was very true. Sam thought about the implications of Charlie being alive. What if Jack didn't join the SGC. Her mind clicked away the possible ramifications until a thought struck. It wouldn't matter what they did. When the timeline was reset everything would go back to the way that it had been. Charlie would simply disappear. She couldn't think of any way to change just one event in the situation they were in. They didn't even know why Charlie had survived in this timeline and not in the original.

When Jack slid his hand against her skin and slipped her dog tags from between her breasts Sam felt like she couldn't breath. "For all of us," Jack's voice was husky with emotion. His hand against her skin above the collar of her t-shirt was warm and sending all kinds of shocks through her body. She felt her skin tighten, her breath catch, her body warm. She looked down at the ring that lay on his hand; Jack's ring. It didn't matter if Ba'al timeline had stolen his memories of their life, his very presence still called to her on a level she'd stop trying to understand years ago. The grief of watching him die hit her, bringing with it the realization of what this man must be going through contemplating his son's death. Her eyes grew bright and she blinked back tears thinking what Jack had gone through in her timeline feeling responsible for the loss of his son.

Sam lifted her gaze to stare into his face so full of hope and expectation. She listened to him tell her how much he trusted her to fix this, to save his son. She felt the weight of his trust twist her heart into a lump in her chest just about the time she the anger hit her. So he'd found his trust of her now.

Where had that faith been when he'd had his hands poised to snap her neck? He barely knows me, knew me less then and was doing what he saw as his duty. The soldier in her pointed out. She couldn't praise him for having the guts to do whatever was necessary to protect those he cared about one moment, and then condemn him for it the next. What hurt so much, she suddenly realized was coming face to face with the knowledge that Jack O'Neill didn't see her as someone to protect.

Jack might not know you, but you know him and how much it will cost him to lose his son, she reminded herself. He'd begged her to use her brain and think of something. Jack O'Neill never begged for anything and she wasn't about to let him down. Decision made, Sam began to work through the possibilities. "We don't know what the defining event was that allowed Charlie to survive in this timeline," she told him, trusting that he would know she was thinking out loud. "Our only option would be to shield him so that any changes we make wouldn't affect him."

Carefully taking her tags and the ring from his fingers she dropped them back protectively between her breasts. He allowed her to slip the chain from him, but didn't step back. Instead he caught her hand that had just replaced her tags and held it thoughtfully for a moment. Sam wasn't sure what he was thinking. She searched his face wondering. When he didn't say anything, but simply lowered his hand Sam stepped out of Jack's embrace and paced a little away. She needed space to think without her body going haywire on her.

Worrying her bottom lip with her teeth, she paused by Thor. Quickly explaining who Charlie was and what she was trying to do she began asking questions of the Asgard commander. Theories were discussed and discarded within seconds. Sam fought to come up with something. There had to be a way to save Charlie. In the cosmic balance she figured the universe owed Jack O'Neill one, but she was fast running out of ideas.

"I'd suggest just bringing him aboard ship so that he would be protected from any changes by Thor's shielding, but we may find that we have to drop the temporal shielding as we correct the timeline to allow ourselves to, for lack of a better term, reset also," Sam advised. "It's too bad we can't make a little portable personal temporal shield," she lamented.

"We can," Thor stated. He started to move crystals on his control board. "I am unsure why I did not think of this earlier." Sam wondered if he was talking to her or to himself. He certainly had her and Jack's complete attention. A bright light appeared behind them and a device that looked something like a knee high, two foot around mushroom appeared behind them. "This will create a portable temporal shield. It will however not protect the one inside from outside forces occurring naturally or due to the alterations in time."

"It looks like a giant toad stool," Jack commented, stopping next to her shoulder. Sam noted absently that his presence at her side didn't set off alarm bells this time. When he causally laid his hand on the small of her back and leaned past her to study the device a bit closer Sam's heart picked up the pace inside her chest. She certainly couldn't blame her rapid pulse on fear. Shaking her head to clear the distraction she studied the Asgard device closely. "So what does this mean Sam?" Jack was asking.

"It means that we can protect Charlie from the timeline change, but anything outside the protected bubble will still change." She didn't have to explain to him the implications. Charlie would be frozen in time to anyone not in the temporal field. He might make it through to the original timeline and then be killed by something as simple as a building collapsing or someone shooting into the field. The field would distort the outside force but it would not stop it from happening eventually. They needed someplace safe for the boy to ride out the changes. Someplace that they knew he would be protected and not discovered by just anyone. "The Ancient outpost in Antarctica!" Sam shouted, excited by the thought.

"Antarctica," Jack frowned. "You want to put my son in Antarctica? What is it with you and vast tracks of Ice?"

"The stasis pod is still intact. I am reading low level energy readings from the outpost," Thor supplied, obviously on the same wavelength as her. Sam was getting excited. This just might work. She turned to Jack. His concern was written all over his face. She tried to think of a way to make him feel better about her suggestion. Struggling for the words, Sam reacted on instinct. "Jack, you asked me to help you. You said you trusted me to help your son. Do you mean that?" It was a fundamental question that she needed to know the answer to. There wasn't time to explain all the reasons why the Ancient outpost was the best answer. They had a lot of work to do. She also wanted to know that he trusted her at least on some level she realized. She needed something from him to know that his reactions to her weren't all just chemistry. Did he feel anything for her beyond his body's response to her?

"Yes," he stated simply. She hadn't expected his reply to be so quick or emphatic. She knew which question he was answering, she wouldn't have asked the second question out loud, but she wished for a moment his answer had been to both. "I know that however this ends you expect to have me back the way you remember. I guess it's me. You keep telling me that I'm him, that he's me. Whatever." He cocked his head and squinted his eyes like he always did when he was searching for words.

Jack's expression was so familiar it tugged at her. "I saw what was between you two on that recording," his voice was low and full of the emotion he was struggling with. "There's no way you could love me or I could love you back that much without you knowing what my son means to me. About this, I trust you Sam." He made no move to touch her or push her. He was telling her the truth and he was waiting for her to come to that conclusion. Nodding, Sam accepted what he was saying and what he was leaving unsaid. It wasn't a declaration of feeling, but between them, considering the present circumstances it felt like a first step to her.

"Then please trust that this is our best chance for saving Charlie and hear me out." She began explaining about the Ancient outpost buried so far under the ice that no one would find it unless they knew enough. Even with the coordinates it would take years for anyone to dig that far. She made clear that the only ones that she could see knowing enough to get inside if they the outpost was found besides herself were Daniel and Cam.

"Ok, so I understand the place is safe from outside changes," Jack acknowledged. "But we are burying him alive." The anguish in his voice tore at her. She tried to take the scientist out of her voice just a bit and replace it with the woman. The cold facts of science might bring her comfort, but his comfort would come from her, not science.

"It's the only option that might work Jack." She searched for a better way to explain what the pod was and help him understand her faith in the ancient bit of technology. She knew how he felt. When she'd watched Jack frozen all those years ago in that same pod and then had to walk away from him she'd felt like she was abandoning him. It had been one of the hardest things she'd ever done and she'd had Teal'c and Daniel with her and the knowledge that the Asgard could most likely save him.

The man standing beside her was alone except for her. He didn't have the trust in Thor born of all their adventures together, but the little alien refusing to send Jack back to the plane and banish him from the spaceship must have carried some weight in O'Neill's book. When the Asgard lent his voice in support of her idea Jack began to calm. Sam finished explaining how he'd used the device himself and been successfully revived by Thor.

"I'm just having a little trouble with letting you freeze my son under tons of ice in Antarctica," he finally snapped. She could see that he was coming round. He had that look right before he accepted that the plan she'd come up with was unconventional but their best hope. "If I was the me you're used to I'd have accepted this and given the ok by now wouldn't I?"

"Probably a while ago," she confirmed with a gently smile. He was being hit by a whole lot of weird in a very short time. She felt her heart open a little more when he turned to her, his face determined and just a little hopeful.

"Then what do we need to do to get this show on the road."

Sam reached out to squeeze his hand before beginning to explain her plan in detail. She and Thor were pretty much in agreement that it was the best option. "First we get Daniel and Cam up here and we let them know what is going on. They have to be prepared Jack. If we don't succeed in what we are doing or Ba'al gets here before we do then Cam and Daniel will be the only line of defense this world has. I can't stand the thought of Earth being under Ba'al's rule for even a moment. We need to let them know where I'm going and what we are attempting and help prepare them to hold it together until we get back."

Sam could see the storm brewing, but before Jack could say a word the light flashed to their right and Daniel and Cam appeared. Daniel was the first to orient on what was going on, but Cam was faster in reaching her. Lifting her off of her feet for a moment he enthusiastically slapped her on the back. "Sam, I knew you could do it," he exclaimed putting her down. "General." He reached for Jack's hand. "God it's good to see you sir."

"Not our Jack," Daniel said slowly, finding his balance and moving toward Sam. When Cam had hugged her she'd felt relief and affection. He was her teammate, her friend. Without a word Sam turned and met Daniel half way. She carefully threw herself into his arms and held on for dear life. She felt his arms come around her and her embrace returned. Daniel was family. They'd lived and died too many times together for there to be any other reaction. In that moment she grieved with him for their Jack, for Daniel's leg, for Teal'c, for everyone else they both lost. In that moment they both healed just a bit. They were not alone. They would fix this.


	14. A Leg Up

Chapter 14 - A Leg Up

Jack watched Sam almost run into that fellow Jackson's arms. He could live with Mitchell's greeting. He even accepted the man's hand shake. Being called General was a little weird. What Jack couldn't take his eyes off of was the way that Sam melted against Jackson's chest. OK, now he was all over her too. His face was in her hair, his arms wound tightly around her. Glancing at Mitchell, Jack caught the thoughtful smirk on the younger man's face and realized he was giving away too much.

"They sort of grew up together you know," Mitchell was saying, obviously noticing Jack's intense interest in the two people hugging a few feet in front of them. "So Colonel, right? Sorry about the General thing earlier." At Jack's nod the man turned to stand beside him. "Finding all this a little weird?" He motioned around the room. Thor was busy with the console and didn't seem to be paying that much attention Jack noted. He wondered unreasonably if Sam and Jackson hugging for so long was just old hat to the alien commander. "Hey, I read every report SG1 filed for 8 years." OK the guy had no life Jack decided, turning a look on him. "I was injured in the hospital. I didn't have much to do," Mitchell defended, having correctly interpreted Jack's look.

"Point is even after reading all those reports and having fought the Goa'uld gliders first hand, stepping through the gate and actually being out here the first time almost boggled my mind." Mitchell was watching him intently. Jack turned his attention back to the young man beside him. "This must really be feeling a little Twilight Zone to you," he finished, waving his hand to encompass the ship and whistling a few bars of the theme song for good measure.

Jack had to agree but he wasn't letting Mitchell know that. The respect was there in the younger man's voice and stance. They might not both be in the same Air Force, but he'd lay odds Mitchell would defer to him if pushed. Good, Jack had about had enough of feeling powerless. "Me and the little alien guy hit it off right away," Jack absently informed him turning back to the objects of his growing irritation. Moving into their space he cleared his throat for attention. He did not like how at home Sam looked enfolded in the man's arms. OK so they had been on the same team for years and it probably was no more then that, but Jack didn't like it. "So one glance and you knew it was me?" he questioned Jackson, curious, but more for something to say.

Sam stepped out of the doctor's arms and turned back to the group as Daniel met Jack's eyes. Silently regarding him for a moment, something like amusement crossed Jackson's face just before he settled his hand on Sam's shoulder. The man was doing it on purpose Jack would swear. Yep the doctor was messing with him.

"Well, that, and you haven't insulted or irritated me yet." Daniel's comment was out of place with his claims of friendship on the sub.

"Thought you said in your timeline I was your best friend," Jack questioned.

"No, actually I said I was yours," Jackson clarified.

"Ah," Jack nodded his head in understanding. "Sort of love hate thing, like Laurel and Hardy?"

"Except that you've never made a habit of shutting my head in windows or trying to kill me on a regular basis," Jackson confirmed, his comfortable tone making it obvious this banter went on between them quite often.

Jack paused, allowing the younger man to see in his face a little of the predator he'd long ago learned to keep under tight control unless needed. "So I had a lot more restraint in the other timeline then I do now," he commented, barely keeping his amusement from showing when Jackson straightened and quickly removed his hand from Sam's shoulder.

"Apparently," the archaeologist agreed speculation in his voice.

Looking between them, Sam shook her head slightly. Jack could swear he saw an indulgent smirk on her face before she launched into an explanation of how Thor had come to be with them. The alien in question added in his own comments where needed and soon everyone was up to speed on how they'd come to be standing on the ship of the Thor from their timeline and how urgent the crisis they faced was.

"So fate of the entire universe is in our hands," Jackson concluded. "Well that's sort of new. Usually it's only a planet or two, maybe the galaxy. Not usually the whole universe." Sam and Mitchell didn't comment, but their faces acknowledged the man's statement. God, how many times did these people face events on this scale? Jack recognized the attitudes. He'd seen it before. People used to dealing with life or death situations on a day to day basis developed coping mechanisms. He'd developed a few himself and so had those on his team, but that was about saving a country, a few people, maybe even a continent from time to time.

"We've got a plan," Sam was telling them. "Hopefully we're going to reverse what Ba'al did, but we have another goal as well." She met Jack's eyes and he felt the familiar jolt that slammed into his chest, but this time his heart swelled with gratitude as well. Samantha Carter was amazing. He'd almost killed her. He could still see moments of hesitation in her when he got too close unexpectedly, but still she fought to save his son. He was beginning to wonder how the other him had waited all those years to claim this woman.

"We're going to save Jack's son. Charlie is alive now and I intend that he comes into our timeline and stays alive and well." The reactions of the other two men pulled Jack's gaze away from Sam. Mitchell looked surprised, but agreeable. Jackson nodded like it was the most natural thing in the world that they'd all put their lives on the line to save his boy.

"Can we do that?" Jackson was asking. "I mean I know you wouldn't mention if we didn't have a chance to do it. This is good." The man he'd just intimidating into stepping away from Sam turned to him, warmth and affection the only emotions evident in his face. "I'm glad we're going to try to do this Jack," he said simply.

"Thank you," was all Jack could think to answer back.

"So what's the plan?" Mitchell slapped Jackson on the back and stepped into the discussion. As Sam explained their idea to use the pod in the ancient outpost, Mitchell slid off the console he was perched on. "If I was Ba'al, that would be one of the first targets I'd hit from space," he interrupted.

"I agree," Sam confirmed. "That is why Jack and I are going to Proclarush Taonas."

"To retrieve the ZPM and power the outpost," Jackson confirmed, nodding his understanding. "And that's where Jack comes in," he concluded. "You sure that you've thought this through Sam?" he questioned. Jack didn't like where the doctor was going, but he waited to see what the other man had to say. "You didn't meet Jack on the first mission to Abydos. I did." Sam didn't reply but her full attention was on what Jackson was saying.

Jack knew he'd given her reason to fear him. His instinct was to interrupt the conversation but he stopped himself. He wanted to see what her friend had to say and how Sam would respond. He needed to have a better idea of where he stood with all of them, but especially her. How much was she doing for him and how much for the other him? Was the damage he'd inflicted fixable?

"Daniel," Sam tried to cut the doctor off, but he was persistent.

"No Sam, just hear me out," he protested. "You weren't there. Jack was different by the time you met him. You're going to put your life in this man's hands. Sam, you're going to put Thor's life in his hands when you put him in the Ancient chair. I just want to make sure you've thought it through."

***

Leave it to Daniel, Sam thought. She was fully aware that when Jack sat in the control chair of the Ancient outpost he would know immediately the power that he had at his disposal. With the fully charged ZPM, he could do serious damage to Thor's ship and he could most certainly hold Ba'al's fleet at bay. Strategically, few could match Jack O'Neill. Would he see more advantage in defending Earth than in helping them change the timeline? The universe being ripped apart was a threat Jack accepted, but didn't understand it. He might favor taking a chance and protecting his world against the concrete threat Ba'al represented when a weapon capable of doing so was put in his control. Was Daniel right? Was she making a mistake in trusting this man?

Sam's eyes flew to Jack's. He must have been aware of the assessing nature of her gaze. He nodded reassuringly and moved to stand at her shoulder, facing Daniel. "I get why this needs doing Jackson, even if I don't fully understand the mechanics of what we're doing," he pointed out. "Sam has nothing to fear from me and neither does Thor."

The feel of Jack's hands on her throat hit her for a moment before she pushed the memory to the back of her mind. She hated that she still got jumpy when he moved to quickly with her. "I trust him to do this Daniel." Sam realized that her statement was true. He wasn't a threat to her anymore. It made no sense for him to want to kill her. She would deal with how much he'd hurt her with his actions later when there was time.

"I believe we are wasting time in this discussion. O'Neill has never broken the trust of the Asgard," Thor pointed out from his console. "I have scanned your DNA Dr Jackson." Thor's change of topic caught Sam by surprise. She glanced at Daniel, but his face showed the same confusion. "If you are ready I will transport you to a life pod and replace your severed leg. It will take no more than a hour for the graft to be fully functional, by the time that we have finished suppying the ship you should be able to walk normally."

"You can do that?" Daniel's face lit with hope.

"Hot damn!" Mitchell exclaimed. "Now that's what I'm talking about."

"I will beam you into the pod. I have scanned your DNA and the pod is now ready to regrow the portion that you are missing. You will be able to sit up in the pod and will remain conscious," the Asgard explained.

Sam blinked to keep the tears back as she watched Daniel's face. "I shouldn't do this," he said after a minute surprising them all. "Someone is bound to notice. It could compromise our mission."

"Who?" Mitchell questioned, coming to stand with them. "Look Jackson, either we're going to change the timeline or we're all going to get destroyed when time rips itself apart," he stated simply. "Between now and then it's going to have to be up to you and me to hold down the fort while these two try to go roll back the clock on Ba'al." Sam winced at Cam's choice of words. "You're going to be more useful with two working legs. Besides, if your handler's anything like mine they wouldn't notice if you walked up naked with a ‘check out my leg' sign strapped to your chest." Daniel still looked undecided. Sam wasn't sure what to say to convince her friend. He did have a point that someone might notice, but having his leg was worth the risk.

"Just get in the pod now Doc." Jack ordered impatiently from behind them. "I doubt anyone is going to notice unless you advertise it and Mitchell's right about you needing to be at your best." Sam smiled at him in gratitude as she watched Daniel nod to Thor. The beam of light that took him paled in comparison with the smile on her friend's face.


	15. Candy Bars

Chapter 15

Sam watched Daniel settle into the pod. A soft glow emanated from the lower half of the device. "Does it hurt?" O'Neill asked, examining the pod.

"Sort of tingles," Daniel answered, bending forward in the pod trying to get a better look at what was happening. "Kind of feels warm." His statement held so much of his irrepressible curiosity. Sam hadn't realized how much she missed her friend until that moment.

Satisfied that Daniel would be alright, Sam turned to Thor. "The first thing we need is supplies," she pointed out.

"And Daniel and I are going to need weapons we can easily conceal. What I wouldn't give for a Zat about now," Mitchell pointed out, leaning on the medical pod Daniel was sitting in.

Running through the things they would need in her mind, a thought occurred to Sam. "I don't suppose you still have the supplies we left with you on The Daniel Jackson after we helped save Orilla?"

"I do indeed Colonel Carter. I transferred them when I took command of The O'Neill." Thor pulled up a schematic of the ship and pointed to a room several levels below them. "I have released them from stasis. You should find everything exactly as you left it."

She couldn't remember exactly what equipment they'd left with Thor. It had been years. It had been Jack's idea to supply Thor with equipment. He'd figured that it would be a lot easier then the commander showing up and cleaning out the SGC's storehouses every time he arrived looking for their help.

"I'd forgotten all about that," Daniel supplied from his place in the pod. "We have all kinds of stuff down there. All the stuff we didn't use after Thor raided the SGC and stuff Jack and I added when we got back."

As Jack, Sam, and Cam headed down to the cargo hold, Sam noticed that Jack was unusually quiet. She wasn't sure if that was just something that he had learned in this life or if, like the Jack she knew so well, that meant that he was inundated with a little too much and processing. She'd been surprised when, as she'd turned to lead the way to the supplies, O'Neill had placed his hand on the small of her back as he'd stepped back to allow her past him. When she'd looked at him in surprise he'd realized his slip and sheepishly smiled before removing his hand. She could still feel the warmth of his touch on her back. That's the last thing I need to be thinking about right now, she thought forcing her thoughts back to the task at hand.

"So you keep the alien ship supplied with weapons?" It took a minute for Sam to realize that Jack was speaking to her.

"Every time Thor would show up, he'd clean out our supplies and if he didn't feel that was enough he'd hit whatever base was nearby. It created so much paperwork and was sometimes so hard to cover up exactly how whole warehouses of arms suddenly vanished in a flash of light that after the mission to Orilla, the Asgard's home world, you decided to requisition supplies. It took General Hammond and the President's signatures to OK the transfer and then we never had to use it." She smiled at the irony of all the red tape the newly appointed General O'Neill had gone through and then they'd never needed any of it. "We defeated the Replicators fairly soon after."

"General George Hammond?" Jack questioned, stopping in the hall as they reached the door they were looking for. Sam nodded, curious how he knew Hammond in this timeline. "He's the one that ordered me to assess you."

"General Hammond made you her handler?" Cam questioned, chuckling. "Not a good move on his part if he was looking to stop her." The young Colonel slapped them both on the shoulder before squeezing between them and stepping into the room. Jack's eyebrows shot upward in question, but Sam wasn't sure what Cam meant and wasn't about to open that can of worms if she didn't have to. Mitchell's low whistle turned both their heads toward the pile of supplies.

Saved by the whistle, Sam decided as O'Neill turned from her and followed Cam into the room. She smiled at the look on both their faces as they walked through the enormous stack of boxes and crates. "The little guy really knows how to stock the shelves," Jack commented as he opened a crate near him and pulled out a P90 rifle. Cam was into the crate containing Zats. Sam followed them into the room. Looking at the labels of the various crates and boxes she began ticking off the things that they had against her mental list of what they were likely to need.

"Hey O'Neill," Cam called. "There's a crate here marked ‘O'Neill'. Want to come take a look through?" Sam heard Jack acknowledge Cam and knew he was headed in that direction, but she made herself ignore the lure of looking through the crate to see what General O'Neill had packed. The vision of Jack's face as he lay dying on the Tok'ra home world hit her. The unexpected assault forced her to grab the closest crate to keep from hitting the floor as her knees buckled. She could feel the life leave him even as Mitchell grabbed her vest and dragged her out of the room.

Unable to fight the grief in that moment, Sam pressed her back against the nearest crate and allowed her legs to give out. Sliding down the rough wood, she was grateful for the cover of shipping containers. She didn't think either of the men around the other side of the pile had noticed her. Just for a moment Sam gave in to the pain. She pulled her legs protectively against her chest. Closing her eyes and taking several quick breaths, Sam tried to quiet the sob that threatened to escape. Wrong place, wrong time she told herself but her heart wouldn't listen.

The remembered feeling of her heart wanting to stop along with Jack's as the light slipped from his eyes overwhelmed her. Wrapping her arms around her knees she allowed her head to drop against her forearms. Sam tried to think of the mission and the possible scenarios they might face. Anything to dull the pain, but the distraction didn't work. As she'd allowed her head to drop against her arms Jack's ring slid forward, warm between her breasts. The exhaustion, the loss, all came crashing down on her.

She heard boots coming to stop near her. "Mitchell, why don't you take your stash and head up to check on Jackson." Jack's voice was soft, almost gentle. Not a voice this man had used on her. The care she heard in his tone snapped the last bit of control she had. She missed Cam's answer, but she could hear the tone of command come into Jack's. "If I wanted to harm her Mitchell she wouldn't still be breathing. Now give us a minute Lt Colonel." The irony of Jack's statement, coupled with the way he had of taking command of a situation whether he had the right to or not, pulled Sam back from the edge just a bit. She lifted her head and nodded once to Cam.

Sam wasn't sure if she was ready to talk to anyone least of all the man that was in the process of sliding down the wall opposite of her position. Part of her wanted to find Daniel and another part of her wanted to throw herself in this man's arms and breathe in his scent. She watched Jack settle his long legs next to her. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Sam tried to quiet the grief, but she wasn't having much success. The last thing she really wanted was to make herself more vulnerable to this Jack. She allowed her focus to drop back to her hands.

"Sam, look at me." When she didn't acknowledge she'd heard him, Jack laid a causal hand on the top of her calf and squeezed. "Samantha." She raised eyes bright with tears to his soft brown ones. She couldn't see any calculation in them and the coldness that hadn't left his face on the plane was gone. Taking in his closeness and the caring she could feel coming off of him, her urge to throw herself into his arms was becoming a reoccurring theme in her brain.

Sam didn't trust her shaky voice and she refused to squeak in Jack O'Neill's presence, no matter which one he was, so she kept quiet. "I'm going to reach for you," he told her in that soft calm voice her Jack rarely used on her before their relationship changed. "You have to know at this point I'm not going to hurt you. I know that doesn't excuse the fact that I considered that option and I'm not trying to. We'll deal with that later." He sighed heavily before continuing. "You're exhausted. On top of emotional loss I'm just beginning to understand, you've been physically drained. I know what a walk across the frozen ice will take out of a person and I know what we do when we're trying to break a potentially hostile detainee. I'm not good with tears, but I want to help."

In typical Jack fashion, no sooner had he finished his statement then he was reaching for her. Sam didn't fight. She allowed him to pull her to him and settle her across his lap. She didn't resist when he gently pressed her head into his chest and cradled her in his arms. She might have been capable of stemming the flow of tears as the dam burst and she gave into her emotions, but she was glad that for a short time she didn't have to.

"I miss you knowing what's between us," she told him as she started to calm enough to catch her breath. "I miss all the memories that Ba'al stole from you." She didn't expect a reply and was surprised when she got one.

"I understand," Jack agreed. "What I saw between you and...I mean between us on the video conversation was powerful." She felt him press a kiss against the top of her hair. "It shook me," he confessed quietly. Sam wasn't sure what to say to that. Deciding that she didn't need to say anything, she relaxed against him and enjoyed the slow movement of his fingers up and down her arm. She remembered a conversation at the cabin a few months after they'd started to date. Jack had admitted that he loved the feel of her skin. He'd told her that knowing what a kick ass soldier she was and how tough she appeared to the rest of the world, having her so soft and feminine with him turned him on. In a moment of quiet after they'd made love he'd admitted that every time he caressed her soft skin and felt the strength beneath he remembered that she was his. He might have to share the soldier/scientist, but the woman was all his.

Sam felt a smile slip out at the memory of his confession and how he'd covered his awkward moment by rolling her under him and making sure neither of them could catch their breath, let alone talk for quite some time. The memories brought a flush to her face and made her squirm a little across the lap she currently resided on.

The hand that quickly clamped against her hip holding her still didn't distract her from noticing that Jack's interest was showing itself. His erection wasn't to full staff yet, but she couldn't help but notice that it was getting there. Half laying, half sitting across his lap as she reclined into his chest left her soft bottom across his crotch. She must have stiffened, because Jack's hand at her hip released immediately. "If you keep squirming I'm going to have to come up with some lame ass excuse about why I keep my side arm in my crotch or I'm going to embarrass both of us," he joked. She didn't mistake the husky tone to his voice. He was struggling.

"But hey, they tell me one of these will make you feel better," he offered. Sam leaned back in shock. She couldn't believe he'd just been that blatant. Did he think she'd just jump in bed with him because he was Jack O'Neill? When she turned enough to see the wicked gleam in Jack's eye and the Belgian Chocolate bar he wiggled in front of her face she started to laugh, more then that, she started to heal just a little.

Snatching the candy bar out of his hand, Sam made sure to wiggle her way out of his lap in a way that kept soft parts of her against hard parts of him for the greatest effect. She was rewarded with a barely contained groan from the man under her. Reaching for the edge of the crate, Sam climbed to her feet just in time to see Jack close his eyes and bang his head on the wall behind him in frustration. The smile she couldn't keep from stretching across her face as she unwrapped the chocolate and popped a piece in her mouth died when he opened his eyes and focused on her.

Jack's eyes were intensely black, his face was serious. He stood and took a step toward her in that fluid, catlike manner he had when he was stalking something. Their bodies were only a few inches apart. He didn't say anything, she half expected him to kiss her again. She couldn't say she didn't want him to. The thought of him reaching for her and holding her face like he'd done on the plane reminded her of his intent the last time his hands had been on her face and neck. The excitement and anticipation mixed with anxiety and coiled low in her belly.

But before Sam could react one way or another, Jack reached for her hand. Removing the candy that she held, he brought her fingers to his lips and slipped one of the digits into his mouth. His lips closed around her finger, making her heart skip a beat. The next moment his talented tongue was lapping at the chocolate she'd gotten on her fingers, sending shock waves across her skin. By the time that he'd cleaned her thumb and finger in the same manner, she found herself holding on to the crate behind her with the other hand to keep herself upright. Her body threatened to turn liquid, her lips parted on a low moan just as she become conscious of the fact that he'd let go of her. Like a deer caught in the headlights, she couldn't do anything but watch the retreating form of Jack O'Neill.

Blinking owlishly, Sam pulled herself together in time to realize that he'd not only left her body screaming for him to complete what he'd started, but he was leaving the room! Fighting to calm her reactions and bring at least her legs back under control, Sam didn't try to go after him. "Two can play at those games Samantha," his voice carried back to her as he turned down the hall whistling.

"Wow," was all she could say before Sam allowed her head to fall back against the crate behind her with a thump. She seemed to be saying that a lot with this man. Pulling herself together she wondered where he'd come up with her favorite kind of Belgian chocolate. It was only then that her eyes shot open. He'd taken her candy bar right out of her fingers and stolen it!


	16. Adjustments

Chapter 16

Jack O'Neill stopped whistling the moment he was out of earshot of Samantha Carter. Shoving what was left of the purloined candy bar into his mouth he wiped his fingers clean on his pants. Walking away from Sam after sucking the chocolate from her fingers was a testament to his willpower he decided. Making sure that no one was looking he reached down to adjust himself trying to get more comfortable. Jack started picturing dead puppies, baseball, his 80 year old aunt, anything to try to get the image and feel of Samantha Carter out of his mind long enough for his testosterone levels to fall.

Jack had been more then tempted to kiss her again. It was bad enough when she was pressing her soft body against his hard one, then he had to go and make it even more difficult to behave by sucking her chocolate covered fingers into his mouth. "Way to flog yourself O'Neill" he groaned out loud. The muffled sobs he and Mitchell had heard while rummaging through the crates sent shock waves though Jack. That such an amazing, confident woman might break down for a moment didn't surprise him, she'd been through hell. The surprise came from the depth of emotion that her pain elicited in him.

Jack's heart hurt for her. He'd wanted to comfort her and protect her, make things better for her. Jack O'Neill didn't do emotions, most especially not emotions emanating from crying females. Sam's pain was different. The sound of her anguish tore through him like a knife through butter. When he pulled her against his chest and offered her the comfort of his arms, he'd felt a stirring in his heart that was much more disturbing then the one in his pants. That moment shook Jack into admitting more then he was comfortable with. He'd been grateful she'd allowed him to distract them both.

The imagery and distracting thoughts worked. Jack bounced on one leg for a final adjustment as the disturbance in his pants subsided. He tried not to think about how much harder it was going to be to bring his heart under control. No set of images was going to kill the effect Samantha Carter was having on his emotions. Uncomfortably pushing those thoughts away, Jack headed back to the control room.

"Where's Sam?" Mitchell was quick to ask as he rounded the corner and entered the room. Daniel and Thor looked up expectantly. The expression on Mitchell's face was curious, but Daniel looked down right concerned. Jack shrugged it off. He was the odd man out in a very tightly knit group of people. It was normal that they were worried.

"She's OK," he confirmed. "She just needs a few more minutes." He didn't elaborate. "So how's the leg Jackson?" The light in the pod was flickering but other than that nothing looked like it was happening. The doctor's face showed no signs of distress or pain.

"We are nearly done O'Neill," Thor supplied. "Were the supplies in the hold satisfactory?" Jack hadn't seen any food in the assortment of boxes and crates other then the supply of candy bars he'd found in the trunk with his name on it. Mitchell explained that Sam loved Belgian chocolate and maybe General O'Neill had packed them for long trips to keep her happy. Jack found the thought amusing until his mind started to wonder back to the taste of the chocolate as he licked the sticky sweetness from Sam's fingers. Down boy, he admonished his body as he quickly focused elsewhere. "I think we're good on weapons, but let's let Sam come back in before we have this discussion." For all Jack knew there might be one of those things like on Star Trek where they just pushed a button and told the computer what they wanted for dinner. He had no way of knowing what they'd need in the way of provisions.

"I'm here," her voice was composed and her face barely showed the signs of the crying she'd been doing. Jack was pleased. He'd at least distracted her for a moment. He smiled at the memory of her whipping her head around to deliver what he was sure would have been an outstanding dressing down when she thought he'd been crudely propositioning her. The look on her face when she'd caught sight of the candy bar was like a kid at Christmas.

Sam caught his eyes and gave him a meaningful look before moving to stand at Jackson's side. He wasn't positive what the look meant, but he was sure he'd find out later. "I think we are fine on weapons, Thor," she confirmed Jack's assessment. "We are going to need some food however." Before Thor could finish moving crystals around, Sam stopped him. "Maybe you could find a grocery store that isn't occupied and beam out a couple of aisles of canned goods and boxed ready to eat food. I can help," she suggested.

"That is unnecessary Colonel Carter." Thor's words made Sam pale. Jack could understand why. The fact that he and his assignment had just up and disappeared from the plane was going to cause enough of a stir without adding to that items disappearing in flashes of white light in front of witnesses or worse yet from a secure military base in front of lots witnesses.

"Don't worry guys," Jackson piped up. "Thor and I did some shopping while you were down checking out the hold. I think we have enough for the trip and then some. We spread it out among large distribution center warehouses that were closed at the time. We were careful not to take too much from any one place. It will probably be chalked up to vandals or petty theft or maybe even poor inventory."

Only half listening, Jack's thoughts turned back to the plane and how his and Carter's disappearance was going to complicate Jackson and Mitchell's job. There would be an investigation. If the authorities didn't bring in the two remaining members of SG1 outright, they'd at least be under constant surveillance. Checking his watch, Jack realized that only about an hour and a half had passed since they'd been brought up from the plane. There was a chance that the two passengers' absence hadn't been noticed. The flight crew had been encouraged to leave them alone as much as possible. Jack, at the time, had wanted as much undisturbed time with Samantha Carter as possible to win her confidence and assess her threat level. He smiled at the thought of how naive that sentiment had been. She'd been telling the truth all along and they'd all been so out of their league.

"Thor, we may have another problem," Jack began, immediately noticing everyone's attention turn to him. "The plane that you pulled us off of, there are three crew members on board. We need them not to land. I'd like to make sure the crew is unharmed if possible, but we can't afford for that plane to land without us on it."

"They'd pick me and Jackson up and probably lock us away for good," Mitchell agreed. "What if they have already called in that you're missing?" he wondered aloud. Jack thought about that. They'd have to check the voice flight recorder and see if anything had been reported. Thor was already intently moving controls around as Sam joined him. "Ahhhhh," she started, but before she could even start her statement Thor moved one last crystal causing Sam to wince. "If I'm reading this correctly, I believe that the plane is now in one of the bays below us, but what did you do with the crew?" she questioned, staring down at the Asgard commander.

Thor blinked at her before moving a few more controls. "I have located an island that is remotely located and that is uninhabited. The island has natural fresh water and sheltering caves. I have transported sufficient supplies to their location for six months time. If we fail in our mission I estimate that it will take approximately that long for the tears in the space time continuum to cause a total wave function collapse. All life will cease to exist."

The room was quiet as everyone absorbed that statement. Jack felt humbled. He looked at the faces around him. Sam's wheels were turning. He could see that. He was coming to the conclusion that she never stopped thinking. Being taken out of the loop back on earth, knowing what she knew, must have been pure torture for her. Looking at the others, he realized that they too were ready to deal with whatever came. These people seemed to routinely carry the fate of the planet, sometimes even a galaxy or two on their shoulders.

"Well at least I don't have to worry about my free trial subscription to Playboy running out," Mitchell joked. "So you beamed up the whole plane?" he questioned Thor, shaking his head in amusement. It wasn't long before they were in the plane listening to the cockpit voice recorder. It hadn't taken Sam long at all to bypass controls and begin the playback. The crew had checked in barely 15 minutes before Thor's beam out with an all clear.

At the end of the tape the airman that brought Sam and Jack coffee when they first boarded was heard running into the cockpit yelling that the passengers had disappeared. The captain began to question the young man when there was suddenly silence and the recording ended. Thor's beam out had been another close call. "Talk about timing," Sam commented. Mitchell nodded his head in agreement, slapped Jack on the back and started to climb out of the plane.

Jack moved to follow him out when he felt a hand on his arm. "Thank you," Sam held his eyes. "It would have made it really hard on the guys if there'd been an investigation. I should have thought of that." He could tell she was surprised at him and disappointed in herself. He knew he had a lot to prove before she'd truly believe he was one hundred percent in.

"No problem, Carter," he answered before stepping back to allow her to climb out before him. "We'd better hurry," he pointed out. "I'm sure we're needed on the bridge." At that Sam chuckled. "They should be hailing us any time now," he checked his watch for effect, tapping on it.

"Funny O'Neill," Sam commented, rolling her eyes but still smiling.

"Jack," he corrected. "Can we go back to Jack?" He didn't mean to turn serious, but he wanted to hear his name on her lips again. He was fully aware the damage he'd done wasn't going to just go away by itself, but he was beginning to hate hearing her call him O'Neill.

Sam stopped at his words and turned back to him. Dipping her head under the low door they'd used to climb into the plane, she searched his eyes for a moment. Jack found himself holding his breath. He could break through her walls when he was kissing her or at intense moments, but he found himself wanting some of the ease that he'd witnessed on the recording he'd viewed. He knew it wouldn't happen overnight, but a little thaw in her general view of him would go a long way to giving him some hope, he decided.

Sam eyes were still on his. She seemed to be considering, then she dropped her eyes almost apologetically and finished climbing past him without a word. I'll take that as a no, Jack thought squashing the disappointment he felt before it could reach his face. Deciding to drop the subject for the time being, he quietly followed her out.

As they entered the bridge, Mitchell was questioning Thor about some of the changes that he'd seen. Jack noticed with more irritation then he was comfortable admitting to that Sam made a b-line to Daniel's pod. The lights stopped flashing about the time that she reached the young doctor. After receiving a nod from Thor, Jackson pulled himself up.

Sam moved to stand ready if she was needed, but Daniel shook his head preferring to try to stand on his own. The wonder on the young man's face as he placed his newly restored leg on the floor and put weight on it lightened Jack's heart some. Thor was good people, he decided. The little alien hadn't needed to heal Jackson's leg but he'd been taking care of friends. These people take care of their own, he thought. That was a good sign in his book.

Thor came over to join the group that had gravitated over to the healing pod. As Daniel stepped back and forth testing the feel of his newly repaired leg, the small alien came to stand before him. "Your leg will continue to heal. You may experience random sensations for a few days, but all is normal."

"Thank you," Daniel said simply.

"You are welcome Daniel Jackson." Thor reached around one of the small consoles near where they stood and retrieved two very ugly pendants. "Since you seek to keep hidden this exchange I have camouflaged Asgard communication crystals in these pendants. Such things were often used to hide technology from primitive worlds we protect. They proved to be quite effective." Jack didn't have the heart to tell the little guy that those big honking stones would likely stand out like sore thumbs. He watched Jackson and Mitchell take the caveman jewelry and place it in their pockets.

"That will make things much easier, thank you." Jackson was the diplomat Jack was learning.

"They are the newest version. I have programmed them for each of you. You may communicate with each other as well as with me. As long as we are in this galaxy you will be able to communicate with us. While we are in Pegasus you will not."

"You're going to retrieve the ZPM then pick up Charlie and place him in stasis before you head to Atlantis, right?" Daniel asked as he fixed his gaze on Jack. "Have you thought what you're going to say to him?" Truth be told, Jack wasn't sure what to say to his son. The indecision must have been all over his face, because Jackson nodded. "I know this is going to be hard Jack. I thought it might make you feel better to know that he won't feel anything in the pod. He won't dream, he won't feel the passage of time."

"How could you possibly know that?" Jack questioned.

"You told me," Jackson confirmed. "Well, the you before all this," he waved his hand to indicate everything around them. "You told me that you didn't remember anything at all from being in the pod. Even when you got all your memories back after Thor removed the Repository of Knowledge from your brain, you told me you didn't remember anything from the pod."

Jack nodded taking in what the younger man was telling him. The knowledge helped. He wasn't sure yet what he'd say when he was standing in front of Charlie, explaining what he wanted his son to do, but knowing that his boy wouldn't feel anything more then going to sleep made Jack's decision easier to live with. He'd figure out what to say.

With plans made, Thor was ready to beam Mitchell and Jackson back to the surface. They had weapons, a secure way to communicate, and a plan. Jack watched Sam hold on to Jackson again. She found comfort in her friend's arms. He got that, but he found that he wanted her to feel she could turn to him for comfort. She'd let him in for just a moment in the cargo space. Patience O'Neill, he counseled himself even as he accepted the Doctor's hand and wished him luck.

Mitchell and Jackson disappeared in a flash of light. Jack turned to Sam. "What now?" he asked. "How long is it going to take us to get to Pocco Tailless?" That brought a smile to Sam's face "Proclarush Taonas," she corrected with an automatic ease that told him she was used to correcting his intentional butchering of names quite often.

"The journey will take us approximately 6 hours," Thor supplied. "I have rooms ready and I have transported your effects to them. I suggest you get some sleep." Jack nodded, after watching Sam refer to a schematic of the new ship, he followed her down the corridor. Here we go, he thought, stopping to stand in front of a window built into the wall. The sight outside the ship caught and held his attention. Fascinated, he watched as the stars seemed to fold and melt around the ship. Where he was and what he was doing hit him like a ton of bricks. Jack reached out, intending to press a hand against the Plexiglas type material that served as a window. When his hand encountered a tingling sensation and sank part way into the material he jumped back and examined his hand.

"It's a type of force shield more then an actual substance. I don't think the Asgard have come up with a solid substance that can hold up to hyperspace travel. There is a substance that feels much like steel covering these windows when we are at sublight speeds. It seems to conduct some of the energy from the shielding or maybe the shielding is enhancing the transparent metal, I'm not sure, but you can actually feel the energy flowing through the ship anywhere there is a window. " Sam's comment came from his shoulder.

She stood bumping her finger tips lightly against the shielding, obviously enjoying the tingle, before she turned back to him. He smiled at her causal playfulness. He liked when she relaxed with him. She wasn't trying to maintain distance between them, but stood very naturally at his shoulder. Not wanting to break the quiet companionship that was developing between them in that moment, Jack didn't try to touch her.

"This is weird, you know." He let his eyes drift back to the stars sliding past the ship. "I was supposed to be evaluating you," he turned toward her, but kept his hands at his sides. "Instead I'm here helping you save the universe." He sighed at the absurdity of his statement and pushed an impatient hand through his hair.

"The whole saving the day thing happens to me a lot," Sam pointed out. "It's sort of a hazard of hanging out with me, actually it is sort of a hazard of hanging out with any of us especially you." She was smiling at him, the blue of her eyes pulling him in. He needed to build trust more then she needed him to kiss her, he reminded himself. Shoving his hands into his pockets to keep from reaching for her he turned back to the window.

"So, we're going to visit the lost city of Atlantis?" he questioned.

"Stop after next."

"Cool." Jack kept his tone light as he gestured for her to lead the way to their rooms. "Think we could get the little guy to stop at a Wal-Mart along the way?" he questioned. "I didn't bring my camera."


	17. Side Arms

Chapter 17 - Sidearms and Spotty Decisions

 

Sam leaned heavily against the door as it slid shut behind her. She looked at the full size bed covered in one of her favorite quilts. For the first time in weeks she allowed herself to relax. Being on Thor's ship was almost like being home. They traveled with him so much Daniel suggested leaving a few personal things on the ship to make those last minute, emergency beam outs more comfortable. Before any of them knew it, Thor was beaming away the contents of their quarters on base to individual cabins on the ship. She was touched that their friend remembered to transfer everything when he changed ships.

Of course Jack couldn't leave well enough alone. He'd talked Thor into outfitting each cabin with a bathroom and, while she'd thought at the time that it was more trouble then necessary, now Sam was grateful. Rummaging around in the drawer of the dresser that stood next to her bed, she found an oversized black T-shirt Jack lent her on one of their missions. As she lifted the shirt out, a yellow and blue package caught her attention. Pulling it from the drawer, Sam could feel the tears start. She opened the clear plastic wrap and allowed the Simpson's boxers to unfold in her hands. Smiling through her tears, she almost missed the post-it note that floated to the floor. 

Jack's handwriting scrawled across the post-it opened the flood gates. The tears ran freely down her cheeks. Swiping at her eyes to clear her vision enough to read, Sam clutched the Simpson's briefs to her heart and sank to the bed, note in hand.

 

‘Noticed you kept my shirt to sleep in...very hot Carter, but the BDU pants have

got to go, they're messing with the image I've got in my head. If you must cover

up any portion of those amazing legs of yours at least do it in style.'

 

The note wasn't signed, but it didn't have to be. Smiling through the tears, Sam realized that the loss and grief felt a little easier to bear. She held the boxers in front of her and chuckled. On the back of the soft cotton was printed a large picture of Homer Simpson's butt with the words ‘Hot Stuff' printed below. Gathering her supplies, she headed into the bathroom.

She'd stood under the hot spray for at least twenty minutes allowing the water to wash away some of the tension from her body and idly reminding herself to ask Thor how he heated water for their bathrooms. How messed up am I, she thought. I am less stressed by the universe's potential destruction then by the idea of being benched, useless on the ground. She was back in her element she acknowledged to herself. This is what Sam Carter knew how to do. Turning off the water and toweling dry, Sam slipped into Jack's t-shirt and the boxers he'd hidden among her things and stepped out into her quarters rubbing a towel over her long hair as she went. The one thing she missed about the short hair was the short amount f time it took to dry, she mused.

Before Sam made it to the side of her bed a knock sounded at the door. Thor rarely came personally to get any of them, he preferred to use the intercom system so it had to be Jack. Too surprised that he would be seeking her out so soon and a bit worried what might have gone wrong, Sam didn't take time to drop the towel from her hands but went and thumbed the control to open the door. "O'Neill, what's wrong?"

Sam didn't miss the frown that crossed his features at her use of his last name. She knew it bothered him, which was one of the reasons that she continued to call him that. She still smarted over what he'd done and it was a way to remind both of them of where they stood. 

"I'm not sure I'm doing the right thing Sam," he confessed. She could see the dark circles under his eyes and the way that he rubbed at the back of his neck. She knew the signs. Jack was deeply disturbed about something. Stepping back from the door, she motioned him to follow. He didn't hesitate. He walked to the foot locker at the end of her bed and lowered himself down on it. Sam watched him for a moment before pulling the lone chair around to face him and sitting down. Allowing the damp towel to lay across her bare knees she rested her hands in her lap and waited.

At first he didn't say anything, but she'd had these non discussions with Jack enough to understand that he was picking his words. He'd come to what it was that he was trying to say when he was ready. "I have to know I'm doing the right thing to try to save my son?" He declared, standing up and moving past her to pace around the room. He picked up her hair brush and twirled it in her fingers before turning back to her. Sam wasn't sure what to say to him, but she wasn't surprised that as he'd started to think through everything he'd started to have doubts. She had them.

"Explain to me what happens to me," he requested. "I need to know if I'm going to be sending my son into a world with no one, not even me." Before she could answer he'd paced back to her still twirling the brush absently. "He lost his mother a few years back. It was hard on him, but he made it through. He graduated this year from the Academy, followed his old man into the Air Force. He wants to fly jets and he's good. I can't take me away from him too, he'd have no one. But do I leave him to die?"

Sam listened. She thought about what might happen. There were a lot of variables. "Sit down Jack," she said, taking the hairbrush away from him and pushing him to sit across from her. She took a deep breath and steeled herself. He deserved the truth. She wasn't trying to hide anything from him. She just wasn't sure what to say. "I have ideas about what Ba'al might have done. I can't even call them theories because they aren't that developed yet. I'm not sure I'm going to be much help."

"Just tell me what you think. I knew after the first report I read about you that your brain was off the charts. Then when I heard Bizarro Jack say you'd blown up a sun."

"Bizarro Jack?" she almost choked with laughter. He just grinned at her sheepishly. She wasn't surprised, but maybe he hadn't meant to let that slip. "Point is Sam, tell me what you think is going to happen and don't hold back. Please," he finished. 

"I've never thought you wanted anything sugar coated before all this happened Jack and I'm not going to start now just because you can't remember who we are." She knew she was stalling. Just get to the point Sam, she admonished herself. "I told you I'm not sure what is going to happen, but I can give you some ideas." Jack's full attention was on her. He was looking at her in that intense way he had when he was gathering facts and running scenarios in his head. Sam always found Jack O'Neill incredibly appealing at those times. 

Shaking her head slightly to pull her thoughts away from the danger area, Sam started to push back in her chair. Some distance between them would help, but before she could move away, Jack reached out and laid a hand on her arm. "Don't pull away Sam please, I can take what you have to say, just say it" he instructed, incorrectly assuming her discomfort at his closeness had to do with delivering bad news. 

Sam wasn't about to correct him. "Remember I'm making a lot of assumptions here," she began, but dropped that line of the conversation as he rolled his hand for her to continue. "I've been thinking about what Ba'al could have found to do this, what I mean to say is what type of weapon or device could be responsible. He can't operate ancient technology, he doesn't have the gene."

"The Ancient gene you said I have?" O'Neill clarified. Sam nodded her head in confirmation. This man was quick to catch on to most everything that she explained to him. While she missed her Jack more then she could say, having the man before her not pretend to be stupid all the time was nice. She knew Jack O'Neill so well that it was enlightening to see what traits the changes in the timeline had caused in him. Her Jack felt so comfortable with his team, her included, that he enjoyed playing the clown and allowing people to severely underestimate him. 

O'Neill was more intense in some ways, more on his guard as he was confronted with new situations. He wasn't jaded by the weirdness of their jobs she recognized, amazed at the realization that they'd all started to take space, aliens, and extreme weirdness as everyday occurrences. With that familiarity taken from him by the changes to the timeline, this Jack O'Neill was experiencing the wonder of discovery she and the rest of them only rarely felt these days. Really looking at the man before her, Sam found herself mesmerized. For the first time in her life she was sitting across from Jack O'Neill regarding him as an equal. 

Sam loved her General with all of her heart. She'd stood toe to toe with him when necessary and on a personal level they'd been much more equal, but there was always the underlying fact that he'd been her superior, her mentor for nearly a decade. In the end that dynamic was always there. Maybe a little hero worship still mixed in with the trust, respect, and love she felt for him.

Nodding at both her new found understanding of the man before her and at his statement she pulled her thoughts together. "I don't know what he used. We've experienced some time travel ourselves. SG1 ended up in 1969 being helped by a young Hammond and we were able to get back to the correct time using solar flares. What I'm saying here is there are ways to time travel besides Ancient technology, but I'm not sure how he's done it."

"If he's used the solar flares method..." Jack started to ask. He must have realized how that sounded. He paused, shook his head as if to clear it, then focused back on her, resting his other hand on her arm. She didn't pull away, understanding that he was finding comfort in her presence.

"Solar flares are almost impossible to predict," she started.

"Assuming," he prompted, steering her away from explanation. She smiled. Seemed neither Jack was much for explanation. Boil down the facts to the simplest form and move on. It had taken her dealing with McKay in her own command to truly appreciate that need. "Then we'd need to go back in time and make sure that Ba'al wasn't able to stop the Stargate from reaching America," Sam declared. "Once we find what machine he's using we could utilize the jumper with the time device installed and go back before Ba'al finds the device and destroy it." Sam knew what question was coming next, but she didn't want to answer it.

"When we destroy the bad guy's gizmo what happens to us?" Jack asked, ignoring her stall tactics. Sam reacted on impulse. She turned her hands over and caught his hands stopping him from rubbing unconscious circles on her arms. Lacing her fingers through his she met his eyes unflinchingly as she delivered her answer. "You and I will cease to exist. None of this will have happened." Jack sat back suddenly, recoiling as if struck. Sam went with him, leaning her body forward into his and not allowing him to pull away. "That's just one theory Jack."

"Took you contemplating me blinking out of existence to get you to call me Jack again," he pointed out, quirking one side of his mouth in a half grin as he searched for equilibrium under the weight of the new information.

"I still call you O'Neill in my head," she joked.

"So that was a mercy ‘Jack' then?" he questioned, smiling briefly. Before she could answer he squeezed her hands, then released her grip and stood up. Sam understood his need to move and just watched as he paced. "So I don't exist anymore, neither do you, what about Thor?"

"Presumably he'd be protected by the ship's temporal shielding and remain unaffected," she provided.

"So I wouldn't exist, you wouldn't exist and the only one that would remember Charlie would be Thor." Jack came to stop in front of her. "What you're saying Carter is that if this theory turns out to be correct, I have to either sentence my son to death or send him into exile in a world he doesn't exist in." Jack's heart was breaking under the weight of the decisions he was making. Sam could see it written all over his face and in the tension of his body. She didn't have any words of comfort to offer. He looked so lost in that moment, almost as lost as Jack had looked when he'd stepped through the Stargate after escaping Ba'al's torture. 

Sam didn't know what else to do. She reached for the man before her and slid her arms around him pulling herself against his taut body, offering comfort the only way she could in that moment. Jack's arms came around her at once. He buried his face in her hair and held on to her. "I don't know how to do this Sam," he whispered into her hair, pulling her closer, molding her body to his. "I know," she comforted rubbing circles on his back even as she held on. "I'm here Jack, we'll get through this. You're not alone." She felt him nod against her neck. Releasing her, he stepped back.

"We've only got a few more hours before we get to Taonas and we are both exhausted, maybe we should get some sleep before we make any more decisions or discuss any more theories," she pointed out. Jack looked at her with an expression she couldn't read. 

"Ah, yeah, sleep," he sounded so uncharacteristically unsure. His face was almost boyish. He was fidgeting. The sudden thought struck Sam. "Room sort of freaking you out a bit, being surrounded by stuff that is yours but isn't?" she guessed.

"Yeah there would be that," he groused. She was sure it was more then that. The weirdness of the last few hours, deciding his son's fate all had to be overwhelming. "Do you want to stay here?" Sam was offering before she could help herself. That thought brought a whole lot of visions racing through her head. The feel of his kiss on the plane, the flick of his tongue across her finger tips in the hold. Her body immediately jumped on that thought train. Trying to squash her reaction, Sam flinched at the sudden brightness of his expression. Oh yeah, his thoughts had gone to the same place hers had. "This is not an invitation to show me your sidearm O'Neill," she pointed out giving him her best disdainful look. It didn't appear to be working. 

That sexy, evil smile that got to her so easily was back as he advanced into her space. "Are you sure?" he asked. "I'm assuming I had something to do with that outfit," he stated. She wasn't going to answer, but she could feel her face getting hot. She'd forgotten the shorts. "I mean come on Sam." He looked her up and down leisurely before sighing dramatically. "The hottest blond I've ever seen is dressed in Simpson shorts and I'm guessing one of my t-shirts. I don't know if I'm strong enough to resist."


	18. Pillow Talk

Chapter 18 - Pillow Talk

 

"Try O'Neill," Sam instructed him, looking unsure if she should hit him or laugh at him. He didn't miss the use of his last name again. "Hey," he protested, unwilling to allow that barrier up between them again if he could help it. "We went back to ‘Jack'. I'm going to disappear remember?" He'd kept his voice light, but the look on her face was turning stormy. Maybe a subject change was in order. "We both need to get some sleep and I hear that pillow calling my name."

"My pillows call you O'Neill you know," she tossed sassily back at him as she spun toward the bed. Jack watched her sashay to the bed and climb between the covers. The sway of her hips covered in the ‘hot stuff' Simpson's briefs made him chuckle at the same time his body began to rise in interest. Jack clamped down on his wayward hormones. Sam holding him in her arms and whispering that he wasn't alone played over again in his mind. It would be so easy to lose himself in her sweet body and forget for just a little while the decisions that he faced, but Jack acknowledged to himself that he wanted more with Sam. 

He probably only had a short time to exist as the him he remembered Jack figured, shaking his head at the statement. If that was true then he was determined not to waste the little time he did have. He wondered if he'd be able to get Sam to give him a chance. With all that had happened between them it might be difficult, but he found himself wanting her more then he'd ever wanted another woman. The problem was that he didn't just want her out of need. If that was the case then it would simplify things quite a bit. Jack was fairly sure that he could warm her up enough to allow him to take her body and make both of them feel better for a little while. Where things got complicated was when he acknowledged that he didn't want sex. Well ok I do, he corrected himself silently, but he also wanted more. 

Jack recognized that he wanted Samantha Carter to give herself to him with love in her eyes not just passion. He wanted her to look at him, see him, not a ghost. He needed to see her looking into his eyes as he joined their bodies and know that it meant as much to her as it did to him. He wanted to see her come apart in his arms as he pushed her over the edge of passion and know it was his name on her lips. "Oh shit," he groaned suddenly as realization hit him like a ton of bricks. "I'm in love with her," he whispered too low for anyone but him to hear.

"How the hell did that happen?" His words must have been a little louder then he expected, he realized, watching Sam turn questioning eyes to him from her place on the bed. "You're on my side of the bed," was the first thing he could think to say to cover his slip. Smooth, O'Neill, he thought grimacing as he watched her purposely plump up the pillow and raise an delicate eyebrow at him in challenge. She settled back on the pillow with an exaggerated sigh of contentment and snuggled deeper into the covers. "My bed," he heard mumbled from under the blankets.

Jack smiled at her response. Yep, that was one of the reasons that he was in love with Sam Carter. She challenged him as an equal in a way few men, let alone any women had done in his life. The universe hates me, he decided, moving to the opposite side of the bed. Sam's shoulders didn't move, her breathing was evening out. He knew she had to be exhausted both mentally and physically. He wasn't surprised to see her slip into a light slumber. 

Jack just watched her sleep for a few moments. The question of his feelings for her was not something he could answer on his own. They weren't going to be together for very long so he didn't have the luxury of ignoring the questions and allowing things to happen naturally. He was going to have to get off his backside and open up to her, at least somewhat. Jack wasn't about to hasten the necessary, but sure to be awkward, conversation by waking Sam. There would be time to talk after they were on their way back to earth and after he'd decided how to handle Charlie. One major crisis at a time, he thought as he unbuckled his pants and used his toes to push them to the floor. Settling down between the sheets in t-shirt and boxers, he found himself going back over the conversation they'd had a few minutes ago. 

Death or exile for his son, it was an impossible choice. In frustration Jack flung his arms over his head and pressed his palms against the headboard. He tried not to fidget or toss and turn. Sam had been through hell the last few weeks and he was determined to allow her to get some sleep. She'd been right to guess that he wanted her comfort, wanted her to stay close. Now that he was lying within arm's reach of her, it was everything he could do not to pull her against him and just hold on.

Glancing across at the woman beside him, he could just see her shape under the covers. Her shoulders peeked out above the blanket. Letting his eyes linger on the shapely curve of her waist before traveling further up her body, Jack was surprised to see her body stiffen and her breathing increase. She wasn't asleep and she wasn't relaxed, he concluded. Unless she could read the thoughts going through his mind, he didn't think she could be mad at him. He was looking, but he wasn't touching. "You OK Carter?" he started to ask, before suddenly realizing what the problem was. Unconsciously he'd started rubbing the back of her leg with the toes of one foot. 

"Sorry," he offered as he hastily stilled his toes and pulled his foot back to his side of the bed. Damn, he hadn't realized he was doing that. "I..."

"You do that when you're trying to fall asleep and thinking," she interrupted without turning over. "I know." He could hear sadness in her voice and it cut him. Jack chose not to think about all the reasons that he should stay on his side of the bed. He was tired of second guessing his instincts with this woman. Sliding across the bed, he gathered her into his arms and pressed his chest against her back. Careful to keep his hands in fairly safe places, he tried to offer her the comfort of his body. 

"I'm sorry Sam, I'm sorry I keep reminding you of what you've lost." She didn't say anything in response but slowly he felt her begin to relax against him. Jack angled his body back slightly so that she stayed pressed against his chest without the erection that was growing by the minute pressing against her. He was determined to comfort her and not pressure her, but he wasn't going to kid himself. His feelings were pretty out of hand for this amazing lady he was presently holding and his body was just pointing out that it was in agreement.

Jack didn't think of himself as a player. He was honest with the women in his life. He wasn't good at relationships, generally didn't have time for them, and couldn't see the point in getting somebody else's hopes up. He was no one to hang a heart on and quite comfortable with that, until now. 

He knew she wasn't asleep even though she'd relaxed against him, but he wasn't sure if he should say anything, try to offer her words of comfort, or just stay close and wait for her to speak. "Not sure what to do now are you?" Sam chuckled, her back still against him. Damn, it was like the woman read his mind sometimes. 

"How do you do that?" he asked, curiosity finally winning out. "Do you really know him that well and am I that much like him?"

 

***

 

Sam was enjoying Jack's warmth against her back and his arms around her. She'd tensed when he'd moved, afraid of what he was offering her, but when he'd settled behind her and made no move to press her, she'd begun to enjoy the closeness. "We've served together for over a decade. Much of that time has been off world."

"Extended camping trips into unknown, sometimes hostile territory," he rightly concluded. "Makes for knowing your team well," she felt him exhale against her neck as he spoke. Shivers raced down across her skin. Jack had his head resting against the back of her neck. She could feel his breath ruffle her hair lightly. He had one hand lightly on her hip and had worked the other under her so that her head was pillowed partially on his arm and partially on his shoulder. 

"More then that," she closed her eyes against the warmth sliding down her spin and beginning to pool into arousal in her belly. "SG1 was the frontline team when the program was new. Everything was new. We never knew what to expect when we stepped through the gate. We endured captivity, torture, even death together. The four of us become closer then I've ever been to anyone in my blood family."

"I've seen that before. That kind of bonding is rare, but it happens." Sam didn't miss the wistful quality in his voice. She thought about asking, but for the first time since she'd stepped into this timeline she felt relaxed and calm. Even the low hum of sexual tension felt familiar and comforting. She didn't want to push Jack to withdraw from her. Talking about his feelings was a sure way for that to happen, although this Jack had actually made a few admissions to her that she couldn't imagine him making before Ba'al changed the time line. As if reading her thoughts she felt Jack stiffen behind her and move back slightly. When he rolled her toward him she went willingly, curious what was pushing him away.

He didn't move far enough away to allow her out of the circle of his arms, but she didn't feel threatened in any way. Watching the emotions play across his face, she wondered what he was thinking. "Jack," she prompted when he remained silently studying her.

"There, see now that is what I don't get," he blurted. "I was an ass to Jackson on the sub and this ship. I haven't been exactly kind to you. I called you nut cases and knew you heard me."

"You wanted us to hear you," she pointed out, smiling when he grimaced at her observation. 

"Point is, I'm a stranger, but you all just blow past that and help me try to save my son." She wasn't sure that was what was really bothering him. He'd hesitated as if he wasn't sure he should let her know what he was thinking, but she decided to answer his question anyway. "Daniel would probably tell you that you're usually an ass so he didn't see much of a difference," she smiled. She could see almost see her friend's face and remember all the times she'd heard ‘don't be an ass, Jack.'

"The truth is that we've all been though so much together. Daniel has died in some form or another and come back to us," she paused trying to remember how many times. "Well I've lost count, but he does it on a fairly regular basis or did there for a while. Teal'c has been brainwashed and tried to kill us. He's gone on Jaffa revenge tangents with varying degrees of consequences," she related, smiling at the memories of all they'd endured together. "Weird isn't that big a stretch for us. We all understand that you're not some alternate reality Jack none of us has ever met. Ba'al stole experiences from you. You don't remember us, but we remember how much the loss of Charlie hurts you to this day and we would spare you that pain if at all possible."

When Jack unexpectedly slid back and ran his hands up to gently cup her face, she couldn't stop herself from tensing. Sam watched his face harden at her reaction. He nodded his head and removed his hands from her. "I tried to kill you Sam," his voice was low, but she could hear the regret there. "Even if you could get past seeing him every time you look at me, even if we had all the time in the world, there's no coming back from that." He hadn't been asking her a question. He'd been making a statement. She wasn't prepared for O'Neill style blunt honesty applied to emotions. In her experience Jack O'Neill didn't do emotions, but apparently this one did.

Sam searched his face for a moment. She wasn't ready for this conversation. She wondered when she'd become as comfortable with ignoring feelings as pre-Ba'al Jack. She briefly considered deflecting his comment or simply letting it go and not replying, but the calm intensity that he projected was the same that she was used to seeing applied to situations in the field. This O'Neill was confronting their situation with the same straight forward analysis he applied to the rest of his life. 

"At first I wasn't sure how to react to you," she confessed, dropping her eyes safely away from his penetrating gaze. "I didn't want to react to you at all. How dare you be alive and look like the man I love, but not remember me." She winced at how unfair that sounded. He didn't say anything but when she glanced at his face, he nodded his understanding or maybe just that he heard her. His silence gave her the courage to continue. "But then I started to enjoy the banter, the challenge you presented. You already know I'm not immune to you."

"Not immune to me, or not immune to how much you miss him?" Jack's question brought her up short. Wow, that was blunt. O'Neill pulled no punches. His intensity scared and intrigued her all that the same time. She didn't want to answer that. The courage to examine how she felt was rapidly slipping away. She wasn't so much afraid of telling him as she was of having to define those feelings herself. 

Sam was exhausted and she wanted the comfort of the man laying so quietly in front of her waiting for her answer. Taking a deep breath, she gave in to her need to hide from the emotions swirling around inside her. Reaching out a hand she softly stroked Jack's cheek, enjoying the stubble that was beginning to show, giving his features an even more ruggedly handsome appearance. He closed his eyes at her touch. Emboldened by his quiet acceptance, Sam leaned forward and kissed him. Jack allowed the kiss, but didn't deepen it as she'd expected him to. 

Afraid that if she broke the kiss he'd push her for more answers, she nipped lightly at his lower lip and slid her fingers into his hair urging him closer. Her Jack had allowed her to take the lead before, but by now he'd always been actively kissing her back. This man was tentative, almost as if he was deciding if he wanted to kiss her. Reaching between them she slid her hand under his shirt. Feeling the warmth of his skin and the texture of the hair covering his chest, she moaned low in her throat. She felt the man under her stiffen with a moan of his own. 

She was getting to him. She smiled inwardly even as her hands continued to play against his bare skin and her lips continued to beg him to deepen his kiss. She could still feel the resistance in him. He was fighting with himself to end the kiss. Sam didn't want to think, she just wanted to feel. For just a moment she didn't want to wonder or hurt. This was Jack. She could feel him soften to her. She knew she got to him. He'd made that very clear every time he talked to her. Reacting on impulse she used her nail to flick across his hardened male nipple. 

Sam gasped as she found herself flipped on her back under a very aroused Jack O'Neill. She gave herself up to him as he finally took the lead, possessing her mouth in a way she'd come to expect from their few kisses since meeting. His kisses were wild, passionate, about possession and knowledge. She felt on fire as his left hand lifted her leg to wrap around his waist and his right tangled in her hair angling her head back further for his kiss. 

She could feel his erection straining against the clothes separating them. When he broke the kiss with a groan and flipped himself backwards off of her, she gasped as the cold air hit her heated body. Blinking she tried to get her befuddled mind to function. Her body was centered on the feelings their kisses and caresses had been generating. Sam looked over at Jack as he lifted himself up on his elbow and turned on his side so that he was very close to her, but not touching.

"I need to know Sam," he told her, his voice loud in the quiet of the room. "I need to know who you're kissing and where that all came from." He took a deep breath and reached to tenderly push a strand of hair off her face. Sam wanted to close her eyes, to look away. If she was to give him an answer to his question she first had to answer it for herself and that was not something she wanted to do. Her biggest mistake was looking Jack in the face. She knew she couldn't turn back from the intensity, the emotion reflected back at her.


	19. All That Jazz

Chapter 19 - All that Jazz

 

Jack wasn't sure if he should kick himself for stopping Sam from seducing him or if he should just kill himself now for wanting so much more out of such a complicated situation. Her hair was tousled from his hands as he'd held her still while he'd taken her mouth. Her lips were slightly swollen and pink from their passion. She looked irresistible. ‘And yet I resist,' he sighed to himself. 

"Where what came from?" she asked back. "I've never denied I like kissing you back, Jack," she pointed out to him.

"Exactly, you've let me kiss you. You haven't exactly thrown yourself at me," he corrected, realizing his mistake as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Sam spun away from him so quickly he barely had time to snake his arm out and lock his hand around her wrist. Pulling her back into the bed with one hand, he scrubbed the other hand over his face in frustration. "Sam, come on, give me a break here," he knew he'd made it clear he wanted more from her. She was avoiding his questions. He was the king of avoidance. He recognized the tactics.

"I know you weren't throwing yourself at me." He didn't like the look on her face. "I recognize diversionary tactics Sam. I've used a few myself."

"What do you want from me O'Neill?" She sounded tired, he was too. He wasn't sure how they got here, but they might as well see it through. There was too much heat between them for this not to come up again. He found he wanted to answer questions for her as much as for himself. 

"Everything," he answered sincerely. Jack released her wrist and slid his fingers into hers, linking them. "That's the hell of it. The more I get to know you, the more I find I want." He searched her face for some indication of what she was feeling. Her eyes were bright, but in the dim light he couldn't tell if she was crying.

"Everything," she repeated quietly. "Then why can't we start here?" Sam questioned, kissing the back of his hand that was holding hers. He felt his blood race back south when she lightly nipped at him before soothing his skin with a kiss. When she seductively looked up at him through her lashes with a smile full of promise, his control snapped. Growling low in his throat, Jack reached out and seized Sam's shoulders pulling her across his chest as he flipped himself over onto his back. Dragging her forward across his chest he captured her mouth with his once again. She was ready for him and met him halfway with a passion equaling his own. 

Jack reveled in the battle of dominance between their tongues. He'd never felt so challenged, so completely matched in his life. She didn't look to him for direction. She made her own way. She didn't expect or need to be pampered or protected and that made him want to do both. He knew he needed to stop them, but his brain wouldn't function. Swallowing her moan as he deepened their kiss, he felt her slide her hands between them. He was a goner if he allowed her much movement. Sam knew entirely too much about his body and what turned him on. 

Allowing her to work her hands between them, he released her shoulders and wrapped his arms around her back. Enveloping her in his hold, Jack tightened one arm, trapping her hands between their bodies, flat against his chest. She flexed her fingers against his t-shirt, still seeking bare skin. He smiled to himself. This woman didn't give an inch.

Woman tended to find his intensity in bed intimidating. Even when he was lucky enough to find one that liked to play in bed as much as he did, Jack was always careful to hold back. Nothing in Sam allowed for holding back. With her hands trapped between them and her mouth occupied, Jack told himself that he was safe to indulge in kissing her for a few more moments before he stopped them. As heady as the taste of her lips and the feel of her body pressed against his was, Jack was slowly regaining control. God, he could kiss the woman all day he decided. 

He'd underestimated her, he suddenly realized as the heat of her wet center pressed erotically against his erection. She'd wiggled her legs around until she'd been able to straddle him and kept him so distracted by their kisses and her hands between them that he'd been caught unaware. Now it was Sam's turn to swallow his moans as Jack fought for some measure of control. Intending to still her movements, he slid a hand down to the small of her back and under the elastic of her Simpson's shorts. She stilled on an intake of breath when his big hand forced the seam of her shorts against the bundle of nerves hidden in her folds. "God, don't stop," she panted as she broke the kiss and sought his eyes. 

Jack traced the edge of her shorts before palming one shapely cheek and kneading. He held her as still against him as she would allow. Her eyes were bright with need. He wanted to give into that look so much it hurt. "Samantha," he growled, thrusting up against her and feeling her heat and wetness through the layers of clothing the separated them. "Jack," she answered, arching her body as much as his hold would allow and pressing back into his hand, urging him for more. 

She dropped her head forward again and captured his bottom lip. Sucking it between her teeth and nipping lightly she quickly released him and allowed her head to fall against his shoulder. She knew just where his sweet spot was. She licked the sensitive skin behind his earlobe before blowing warm air across his skin. Jack felt his neck erupt in goose flesh and warm sensation begin to coil even tighter between his legs. 

Releasing his hold on her upper body, Jack used both hands to cup her bottom. Oblivious to the clothing between them he pulled her tight against him and thrust up into her heat. Growling at the obstacles in his way, he slid the shorts as far down her legs as his long arms would allow. When she arched up to reach down and help him, her right breast slid into view. He could clearly see her shape under the fabric. He didn't hesitate, but pushed the shirt out of his way. Capturing her nipple between his teeth, Jack bit lightly at the same time he flicked his tongue across the imprisoned bud. Sam cried out his name, making Jack abandon any thought of stopping.

He rolled them over, pinning her beneath him, but didn't lose his hold on her breast. She arched under him, silently begging for more. He used his foot to push her shorts the rest of the way down her body. Sam lifted her legs, helping him. He released her breast long enough to slide the shirt over her head and then lowered his head to suckle once again. 

"Make love to me Jack, please," she moaned, tangling her fingers in his hair. At her words, Jack raised his eyes to hers. Mixed in with the arousal was the softness of love. At that moment he realized that he would give his soul to have that look directed at him, but he didn't think it was. Sam must have felt him hesitate. Her eyes focused on his. He froze, unsure what to say. Sam blinked and attempted to reach for him again, but he caught her wrist. 

***

Sam felt warm and alive. Her body was on fire with Jack's touch. She loved the way he made her feel. She refused to allow herself to think. She'd felt herself die in that ceremony room and now her body was alive. She'd deal with anything that came after. When Jack fisted her boxer shorts and forced the seam of material through her slick folds to press against the center of her pooling desire, she'd almost crested. "God, don't stop," she panted as she broke the kiss and sought his eyes. 

The heat in his look melted her. The way he called her Samantha never failed to make her heart skip. "Jack," she answered, begging him to continue. She released his mouth to reach for the sensitive skin behind his ear. That drove Jack crazy. She wanted him to stop thinking. She could feel moments of hesitation as his questions resurfaced, but she didn't want to think. Now was not the time to think.

Sam barely finished her treatment of his ear before he was capturing her ass between his hands and grinding into her. She matched his growl of frustration at the clothing between them. She could feel his heat, but she couldn't take him inside of her where she needed him. 

Sam wasted no time when she felt Jack pushing her shorts aside. She arched up, intent on helping him get rid of the rest of those clothes. She wasn't ready when he pulled her nipple between his teeth and began to suckle her. Arching against him she cried out. God she needed him. "Make love to me, Jack, please," she begged. The words were out of her mouth before she realized she was going to say them.

Sam felt Jack hesitate. She'd hesitated for a moment too. She hadn't meant that to slip out. She could push what she'd said aside, he was a guy, he would push it aside too with a little encouragement. Intent on offering the encouragement to make him forget his reluctance, Sam reached for Jack with both hands. She was surprised when she found herself pinned to the mattress by her wrists.

"Don't you get it Sam?" Jack asked her sadly, his voice ragged with emotion. "I would be making love to you, but you'd come down after and realize that I'm not him." She blinked up at him, unsure what to say, unsure she'd even heard him right. Did he just say he was in love with her? Did he just imply that in O'Neill speak? Jack released her and levered himself onto his back before rolling up to sit on the side of the bed. Sam couldn't move, beyond allowing her arms to fall across her stomach. She watched him turn back to her and pull the sheet across her. 

"That's the cosmic joke." He studied her for a moment before meeting her eyes. "I don't think I've ever been more in love with anyone in my life then I am right now and I get the feeling that is just the tip of the iceberg here, but I don't have a snowball's chance in hell," he confessed. She knew he was looking for some response from her, but she felt in shock. He'd been right in assuming that she'd lost track of who she was really with. She'd put it out of her mind and he was probably right, she'd have questioned herself and maybe even hated herself the next day for being unfaithful to her General, but the fact that O'Neill had been the one to stop them out of a need to protect her feelings left her looking for solid ground. 

Sam understood the science better than anyone. Intellectually she knew that this Jack was the same Jack that was her General, but this man had life experiences she'd never shared and was missing the ones that she had. Sam didn't know how she felt at that moment, or more importantly how she should feel. 

"You'll either always see me as O'Neill, a painful reminder of what you've lost or a cheap substitute you call Jack in the dark." He leveled himself up and stood looking down at her. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but even if I could settle for that and I'm pretty sure I was about to," his lopsided half smile as his eyes traveled her body and the rumpled bed spoke volumes. "Even if I could, you couldn't," he continued. "It would tear you apart. You deserve a lot better then you've gotten from me and this world Sam. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

Sam watched O'Neill pick up his pants and leave the room without a word. She wanted to call him back, but didn't know what to say. Tears slid silently down her face. She wasn't even sure who the tears were for; herself, Jack the General, Jack the Colonel or maybe all of them. She'd been about to give herself to O'Neill. If she was being honest she hadn't been allowing anything, she'd been actively pushing him to take her. He was the same Jack, her Jack, but somewhere along the line she'd begun to observe and catalog the differences. Could she blame her actions all on her need to feel alive again? Sam was honest enough to admit that O'Neill was exciting and dangerous and reminded her very much of Jack the first year that they'd worked together. 

Sam sat up and fumbled around the bed for her clothing. Pulling Jack's shirt on she lay back against the pillows and tried to close her eyes, hoping exhaustion would win out. As she plumped the pillow and flopped over onto her stomach, she caught O'Neill's scent still lingering in the cotton. In frustration Sam sat up and threw the pillow against the wall. Jack O'Neill didn't do emotions, she reminded herself angrily. Why now? Why did he pick now to move beyond their traditional ‘ignore it and it won't be a problem' approach to emotions. Maybe because he never had to close himself off emotionally after losing his son, she theorized. 

Sam got up and paced away from the bed. She took a moment to wash her face and clean herself up. Slipping into her Simpson boxers, she turned off the light and headed back to bed. Lying on the floor next to the discarded pillow was the sticky note she'd found with the boxers. Sam dropped down to the floor where she stood and re-read the familiar scrawl. She'd been surprised by how sweet and thoughtful her General could be after they'd decided to give a relationship between them a shot. When they were alone, he showed her glimpses of what he'd been like before all the pain and loss he'd suffered forced him to erect all the protective barriers he now lived with. She loved seeing past the mask he presented to the world and she'd fallen even more in love with the man he'd shown her.

O'Neill had none of the reservations that she and Jack had dealt with for so long. He was meeting her as an equal. She was earning that position with him. There wasn't any subordinate-CO relationship standing in the way. Would Jack before the timeline change have reacted the same way if they were just meeting now, after she had grown into the woman she was now? "What am I talking about here," she groaned out loud. She wouldn't be the woman she was now if Jack hadn't been in her life, guiding and teaching her. She needed to talk to someone and Jack wasn't that person. Making her mind up, she got dressed and headed for the only other person she could think might help.

When Sam entered the bridge of the O'Neill, she stopped in shock. Thor had dimmed the lights somewhat and was sitting quietly in his chair. The air in front of him was covered in symbols he seemed to be studying. That the symbols seemed to float in the air didn't surprise her. She'd gotten used to the transparent screens that the Asgard were using these days. What shocked her was the music that surrounded her as soon as the doors opened. 

"Is that jazz music?" she asked, tilting her head to catch the tune. Thor turned off the screen he was reading and climbed from the chair. "That is correct Colonel Carter," he confirmed. "It is Big Bad Voodoo Daddy." Sam tried hard not to laugh. She didn't want her friend to think she was laughing at him, but she couldn't completely suppress her laughter. "Jack gave you that didn't he?" she asked.

"No, Teal'c shared the collection with me." Thor stopped in front of her and tilted his head as well. "I believe he got the audio recording from O'Neill however." The little alien adjusted a control on the panel near the door. The selection playing changed. "This is my favorite," he announced, wiggling his hand in time to the beat as the lyrics of The Call of the Jitterbug seemed to erupt around them.

This time Sam lost her battle, Thor didn't seem upset when the laughter she'd been trying so hard to suppress bubbled up. "If you like this, you might also want to try Cherry Poppin Daddies," she suggested as she got her breath back.

"Zoot Suite Riot," Thor answered sagely. "O'Neill provided both Teal'c and I with that audio as well. I have enjoyed the exchange of music. I gave General O'Neill several examples of Asgard composition. I am surprised that he did not share this with you Colonel Carter. I will make additional recordings and load them on the small device that O'Neill provided my recordings on. I have transferred them to the computer and no longer have need of the device." Thor touched the crystal on the wall again and the volume lowered slightly, making it more background music then the active listening it had been. "Is there something that you require my assistance with?" he asked as he turned back toward her.

"The communication crystals that you gave Daniel and Cam, will they work from here?" she almost hesitated to ask, but right now she needed to talk to Daniel if it was possible. Thor studied her for a moment. She'd worked with the Asgard long enough to know that he was curious about her motives. "It is actually not about our plan, it's sort of personal," she finished awkwardly.

"The crystals will reach and are undetectable by any technology available to the Tauri people of this timeline. You may use the platform for holographic communication if you would like. I believe that you know how to operate the system but if you need help I will be studying the readings I made just prior to the when the shift in the timeline occurred."

"Do you need any help?" Sam asked, excited by the prospect as well as the prospect of a distraction that would make examining how she felt be put on the back burner. At least I'm honest with myself, she thought.

"You would not understand the time fluctuation readings Colonel. I am attempting to translate the findings into language you will more easily understand." She would swear the little alien looked uncomfortable.

"Are you saying that you are translating the data into a language that I will understand or that you are attempting to dumb down the information enough for my level of understanding?" She raised an eyebrow and waited for him to answer.

"The computer is set to automatically translate data from Asgard to specified parameters for your use Colonel Carter. No action on my part is required." His innocent expression didn't help much. Sam knew they were leaps and bounds behind this advanced race, but after all the times they'd worked together she didn't often come across technology that couldn't be explained well enough for her to at least grasp what they were saying. "Is our understanding of the relationship between time and space that far off?" she asked.

Thor hesitated before answering. "It is not that your understanding is incorrect in the directions that you are progressing, Colonel Carter, it is that you have not begun to guess at the complexity of the issues."

"Colonel Carter" she repeated quietly as his use of her name struck her. Thor and she were the front line working to save the universe. They'd easily been through enough together that she considered him a friend. She was listening to Jazz music with him for goodness sake. He'd hugged her back.

"How long have we known each other Thor? I mean, we're friends right?"

"We are, Colonel Carter, but I still do not think that I can explain what I am translating in the time available..." 

"I know. That isn't what I am getting at," she interrupted. "I was just wondering if you could call me something other then ‘Colonel Carter'. Would it be against Asgard etiquette to call me by the name my friends call me, Sam maybe or Carter or even Samantha?" she suggested. She'd always meant to get around to asking him about that. Thor stopped what he was doing and studied her for a moment. She could swear he looked pleased. "It would my honor, Samantha." 

Sam smiled as Thor bowed his head slightly. "Thank you," she replied. "I better go make my call." Watching Thor turn back to his own work, Sam thought about her call to Daniel. She wasn't sure what she would say. Wasn't even sure she would say much at all, but she was sure that she needed to speak with her friend.


	20. Coffee

Chapter 20 - Coffee

"Hi Daniel," Sam said on her fourth try, a little louder this time. She'd been trying to quietly wake him without startling him, but it wasn't working. As a hologram she couldn't touch him.

Sam smiled at her friend. His hair had grown longer then he typically wore it in later days on the team. His face was relaxed in sleep. The sheet had fallen down just above his shirtless waist. He was a very attractive man. Life would have been so much easier if she'd fallen for him rather then Jack, she mused, but while she could appreciate his good looks, he was like a brother.

Right now Sam needed his brotherly, comforting presence. "Unscheduled off world activation!" she intoned in a loud stern voice. Sure enough Daniel bolted from bed looking around him widely. "Oh God," she said, covering her eyes when she realized he was naked. "No wonder Oma sent you back naked all those times Daniel," she blurted. "I bet you requested it. What's up with that? Wait bad choice of words," she groaned.

"Well, if you walk into someone's bedroom and startle them out of a deep sleep I don't think you can complain about their state of dress Sam." Daniel's warm voice held a note of irritation and affection all at the same time. "You can uncover your eyes now," he told her. Sam cautiously removed her hand to find that he had slipped a pair of jeans on. "That was mean you know," he griped.

"Sorry Daniel," she replied. "I couldn't exactly shake you awake and calling your name wasn't working. You never used to sleep that soundly before." She was curious. He'd always been the soundest sleeper of the group, but that wasn't saying much when compared to Teal'c and Jack's hair trigger.

"I didn't get in until two in the morning," he informed her in a testy voice. Reaching around for his glasses, he checked the clock and shook his head at the 4:13am display. "Coffee," Daniel muttered around a yawn and padded out to the kitchen with Sam trailing. She watched him silently as he put the pot to brewing and turned back to her.

"So, social call?" he inquired lightly when she didn't start the conversation.

"Basically," she confirmed, not sure where to start. Daniel eyed her for a moment. She could see him almost as a hologram in front of her because of the new technology of Thor's ship and knew he could see her as a pretty solid holographic image. She was about to ask him what he was doing out until two in the morning but she wasn't fast enough before Daniel interrupted her train of thought.

"So, Sam, how's things?" he tried again, keeping his voice light and friendly.

"We're almost planet side," she remarked. "I'm standing on the bridge listening to Thor's music collection. Did you know Jack has been giving Thor and Teal'c jazz music?" She almost rolled her eyes at herself. She so needed to talk this situation between she and O'Neill out, but she didn't know how to bring it up. She wasn't sure how she was feeling, how could she express those jumbled thoughts to her friend?

Daniel studied her for a moment in that way he had when he was trying to decipher a new language. "You look like hell Sam."

"You think?" she laughed, running a hand through her hair self-consciously.

"So you want to talk about Thor's music or you want to talk about Jack?" he inquired, turning for a moment to pour himself a cup out of the coffee maker that had just beeped its readiness.

"God Daniel, I don't know what to say." Sam watched him lean back against the counter, sipping his coffee. He was starting to look a little more awake. "I know he's Jack. Physically he is our Jack. I know that from a scientific point of view but," she hesitated, not sure what to say.

"Sam," Daniel picked up the conversation. "I have eyes. Cam also told me about what was going on in the hold when Jack insisted on comforting you. Mitchell wasn't sure that he should leave you two, he said the emotions were pretty intense."

"He's Jack, but he's not." Sam's voice was confused, unsure. "I miss our Jack so much. He asked me to marry him Daniel." She couldn't look Daniel in the face. She was scared that she would lose it again if she saw compassion and grief for her reflected there. "We were going to tell all of you when we got back. That's why Jack wanted us all to meet at O'Malley's." She felt the tears threaten as she pulled the chain hanging around her neck out from under her shirt and held the ring out for him to see. She still didn't look at Daniel. She stared at the ring.

"I wish I was there for you right now Sam," Daniel's strength, as well as his quiet acceptance of her pain, brought her back to the present. She dropped the ring back safely against her skin. "I wish you were too." She would like to wrap herself in his comforting embrace and hold on. "At first I didn't allow myself to think." Sam launched into how O'Neill had been assigned to assess her threat level. She skirted around the intensity of the kisses between them, but she told Daniel how he'd found the USB drive woven into her hair.

"Wow, Vala has been quite an influence on you." Daniel chuckled, trying to relieve the heaviness of their talk a bit. "I can never imagine you braiding something into your hair to hide it before she came into our lives."

"That is actually where I got the idea," she admitted with a smile.

"Sam, you are the most loyal, moral person I know." Daniel put his cup down and leaned in to the hologram. His eyes were intense. "Are you asking me if being attracted to Jack without his memories is being unfaithful to Jack with his memories?"

"Nature vs nurture?" she suggested halfheartedly.

Daniel picked his coffee mug back up and examined it as if the answers could be found in the bottom. "Maybe we should write a paper when we get back," he suggested. Considering for another moment, he looked up from his cup. "Look Sam, I can't answer that for you," he held his hand up before she could interrupt so she waited to see what else he would say. She would take any help she could get right now and Daniel's opinion was one she valued beyond anyone she could think of in situations of a moral or human nature.

Daniel stood up and moved in front of where her representation stood. "I've met an alternate reality Jack O'Neill," she nodded at him to continue. She hadn't thought of that, but he had when he'd gone through the mirror all those years ago. "He had his moments that he reminded me of our Jack, but I'd have had no trouble telling them apart if they'd been in the same room saying the same things. I can't explain it, but I knew within moments that he wasn't him and that you weren't you, subtle differences, but strong ones." He met and held her eyes, almost as if he was trying to see through the hologram straight into his friend. "I don't pretend to understand the physics of alternate timelines and realities the way that you do. Both you and Thor tell me that Jack is Jack, but even if you hadn't told me that I'd have believed it anyway. In the same scenario, if this Jack and the Jack we left behind were standing together saying the same things. If it wasn't for the weight difference and the eyebrow scar missing, I wouldn't have been able to tell them apart."

Sam let out a breath. She'd never met any other Jack O'Neill so she wasn't prepared for Daniel's answer, it helped. "There are so many differences," she began.

"I noticed," her friend agreed. "He reminds me a lot of Jack that first year of SG1." He was right, Sam realized as he continued his thought. "Remember military Jack, before we broke him in."

"Military Jack?" Ok, that made her laugh.

'That's what I used to call him in my head when he'd make us leave a planet because it wasn't strategically interesting. You remember, before the powers that be decided to pursue scientific knowledge as well as military pursuits."

"I remember," she agreed. "I remember him only letting me on the team because Hammond ordered it." She'd forgotten about that. "I remember the things he said to me in the briefing room and how I thought I'd never really get accepted by him." Sam was thoughtful as she relived memories, both good and bad.

"I remember him flirting with me just about every chance he got too," she commented, considering the implications from a new perspective. "Back then I wasn't sure that he was flirting. Looking back, he was walking a pretty thin line but the attraction was there for both of us. I was so awestruck by all the stories of him back then that I didn't see or understand how close he was to crossing that line or how much trouble he could have gotten himself in if I hadn't been receptive."

Wow, she'd never thought about it before. They'd had an instant connection back then and Jack had pursued it as much as he could within the confines of their working relationship. Was it so surprising that the same connection was there now? "In hindsight, now that I understand the role of command from a different perspective than I did in those days, I can see the dance he was doing with himself."

"I think Jack liked to tease you back then," Daniel commented. "When he flirted with you it was a toss up whether you would flirt back or you would get the deer in the headlights look and bury him under a ton of techno babble. I think he enjoyed both responses." They both chuckled at the memory. Sam remembered being in so much awe of her CO at that point that she'd fought the attraction tooth and nail, sure such an amazing man and soldier couldn't possibly be really flirting with her.

"I'm not sure I'm helping much Sam."

"I'm not sure what I'm even looking for," she confided. Wishing she could move around the room without loosing the connection Sam tried to marshal her thoughts. "It's like two sides of the same man, Daniel, I am so confused." Sam's eyes shot wide as a thought hit her. "No I'm not," she said. "I'm not confused about how I feel. I have always wondered what it would have been like to meet Jack without the regs standing in our way and now I'm finding out."

"Well not entirely Sam," Daniel commented. "It's a little more then that. You are meeting Jack almost like you did in the briefing room all those years ago. But you are meeting him as an equal, not as a subordinate in rank, experience, or maturity." Wow she hadn't thought of it like that. "You are meeting and seeing a side of Jack that has been impossible for you to know before." Leave it to Daniel to see right through the problem to the heart of the situation.

"That is just my opinion Sam, so take it for what it is worth." Sam ignored his cautionary words. His opinion on human nature had saved their collective asses countless times. "As much as Jack loves you and respects you, and you him, there is no getting around the fact that he trained you, mentored you, and then loved you for years before he was allowed to." Daniel was right, she'd never thought of it like that before.

"You both got to know each other as colleagues before anything else," Daniel Continued. "You never really got to experience that euphoric first attraction. You never got to be the woman Jack swept off her feet because you were so much more to him by the time you both got a chance to make things real between you. I don't blame you at all for being attracted to this side of Jack."

Daniel ran a hand through his hair and paused for a moment. That look he got when he'd finally deciphered a language or figured out some elusive piece of information was back. Sam didn't say anything. "I think there is a bigger issue here then just the fact that you are bothered by your intense reaction to O'Neill." Daniel was right on that one she thought. "Am I right in the fact that you feel like you're cheating on Jack by being so attracted to O'Neill?"

"I'm not sure. That's the problem. Am I betraying Jack or is this Jack?" He'd hit the nail on the head with that one, she thought.

"Then lets look at this another way." The anthropologist in Daniel began to take the situation apart. "Are you afraid that we will fix the timeline and that somehow you will be left with both Jack and O'Neill standing side by side looking to you for an explanation?"

Sam chuckled at the thought. "No. That can't happen," she said, her brain kicking into science mode. "This isn't an alternate reality. Both of these men are the same. They are both Jack O'Neill, the one that we know. The experiences are different as they apply to the Stargate and anything changed by the sinking of the ship carrying it, but they are the same man. Physics says that two identical objects cannot share the same space at the same time. This is the same man so only one of him can exist at any particular point." She was at home with the science and felt like she was getting her feet under her again. "That is why Dr. Carter experienced entropic cascade failure when she came through into our universe. She and I were not identical physically, our being in different universes made us slightly different at the atomic level. That allowed us to be in the same universe at the same time for a very short time, but had she remained she would have been torn apart. Jack and O'Neill are the same person right down to the atomic level. They could not exist together for even a fraction of a second. Because they are exactly the same at a cellular level, I am not sure what would happen. I'm not sure which of them would survive or if they would both be killed instantly."

Sam thought about what she'd just said. Daniel stood up from his perch against his counter. "When Oma sent me back naked and without my memory that first time, none of you gave up on me. You showed me who I was. I can't imagine that Jack would hold it against you that you weren't willing to give up on him now. We don't know if we can fix any of this or if any of us will survive the fixing. It's not going to be easy for you Sam, don't make it harder. Follow your instincts. Don't second guess yourself."

"Thank you Daniel. You're right. He's the same man. Now I just have to figure out where I go with that and how to make him understand that." She heard noises behind her. Thor must be done and coming to see how she was doing. She needed to get back to him. "Thank you."

"Anytime Sam," Daniel answered. "Take care of yourself. I don't like that Cam and I are not there to back you up."

"I'm here Jackson. She's got back up." Sam jumped at hearing O'Neill's voice so close to her. She wondered how much he'd heard. "Any repercussions from the plane disappearing?" he asked as he reached around Sam and swept his hand back and forth across the holographic image of Daniel.

"The car that had just stopped watching my house is back and I found a couple of bugs in the living room, but nothing past that. I checked with Cam, same thing on his end," Daniel assured them.

"How's the leg?" Jack asked, still poking his fingers into the hologram from time to time.

"Itches a little as the nerves come back, but good," Daniel answered. "You know I can see that right?"

"Distracting?"

"A bit."

"Ok, well nice talking to you," Jack finished stepping back. "I'll just go keep Thor company. The little guy's got great taste in music."

"I rest my case, Sam." Daniel's words got them both chuckling. "Call me when you're on your way back?"

Sam smiled as she assured him that she would. Disconnecting the link she turned back to where O'Neill was standing with Thor. She wondered again how much he had heard. She wished Thor understood the situation well enough to let her know that Jack had come into the room. Between the music and talking to Daniel he'd caught her completely unaware.

Jack turned to her as she approached. "Thor says we are only about 30 minutes out." He had showered and changed into clean clothes. He was wearing the black t-shirt and BDU pants that Jack favored. She could see the black circles under his eyes. He wasn't getting any more rest then she was. "Did you get any sleep?" he asked her.

She could see the concern in his eyes. Sam thought about everything that Daniel had said. "Not really," she confirmed. "I understand what you want from me Jack." Sam couldn't read his expression. When Jack O'Neill decided to shut down, she'd never been very good at reading what he was thinking, but she could hazard a guess. "We need to get the ZPM. I'll need your help for that."

"You have it, I've told you I'm in Carter." His voice wasn't impatient, but more tired, resigned. He was trying to keep his distance just like he'd promised her.

"Jack," she purposely waited until he was focused on her, hoping that her use of his first name would get through to him. "I meant what I said too. You are not alone. I'm here for you. I understand how hard what you're facing with Charlie is. We'll get through this together if you'll let me."

Jack didn't answer. The sadness and turmoil on his face before he was able to cover it up took her breath away. "Thank you, Sam" he said. "I meant what I said as well. You are an amazing woman. You deserve better then this world has given you."

Sam could see the surprise on his face when she caught his arm to keep him from turning away from her. "O'Neill," she caught herself, "Jack, you and I have a lot to discuss. Ba'al doesn't get to win. He's not taking anything more from us. I won't let him. He almost took you from me once. I'm not going to let him do it again, but what you're asking me is impossible." She held up her hand to stop him from interrupting her. "You want me to see you for who you are. I do, but I can't separate you from the man that gave me this ring, not completely. For you to ask me to do that is unfair." Sam took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

"You think that I can't understand or forgive you for considering snapping my neck when you thought I was trying to destroy the Earth you know." The surprise on his face made her rush. She didn't want him to say anything until she was done. "You've killed me before Jack and if it wasn't for Daniel figuring out that I was stuck in the SGC computers, it would have been permanent. I could count for you time and time again that I made a decision that should have taken your life or you mine, that's what being the Earth's first line of defense demands." She paused. She had his full attention now.

"I get a little jumpy with you sometimes. I'll get past that. What I won't get past, Jack, is you making decisions for me and you deciding how I should feel. I'm not good at emotions. I avoid them. I had a good teacher." She smiled at the irony of who she was saying that to. "You're not the same, but you're Jack. Can we leave it at that for now?"

He was looking at her thoughtfully. "Yeah we can leave it at that," he agreed. "So you want to tell me what I do when we get to Tailless?" Sam smiled at his typical butchering of the planet's name. "Taonas and this is the easy part," she told him, figuring that retrieving the ZPM was the simplest thing they were going to have to do on this mission.

As she launched into an explanation of how he would be able to release the ZPM due to his ancient gene, Sam relaxed in his company for the first time since she met him. She could do this. She smiled inwardly at the irony of Jack pushing her to confront her emotions.

"We are entering orbit," Thor informed them. "Sensors show the ZPM is charged but deactivated. I am clearing the atmosphere inside the dome. I will transport you both directly into the dome when ready."

"Ready?" she asked as O'Neill stared at the screen showing Proclarush Taonas. He looked at the screen one more time. Sam wondered if looking down at a dead world and knowing that they were about to transport down there without suits bothered him. "After you Carter," he said as he followed her to the hold to get their weapons. With one last glance at the screen he fell in behind her.


	21. Think Up

Chapter 21

Jack gripped the P-90 strapped to his chest and looked around him. Sam stood to his left looking at him expectantly as they materialized on Taonas, inside the lava dome covering the Ancient Outpost. He admitted to himself that he was a little uneasy about materializing inside a lava dome, but he trusted Thor when the little guy said that the air inside the dome was now breathable.

"You OK with this?" Sam was so at ease as she asked him his status that he marveled again at how strange this woman's life must be. "Yeah, I'm good," he answered. He allowed her to lead the way, still keeping a wary eye out as they crossed to a pedestal with one lone chair occupying the center. The chair lit up as he approached. Jack instantly leveled the gun and scanned the area.

"It's an automated response. The chair platform is reacting to your ATA gene." Sam's words were comforting. Jack lowered his weapon and circled the chair. "So now what?" he inquired.

"Now you pass your hand over this area," she was kneeling beside the platform, "and think 'up'," she finished.

"Think 'up'?" Jack questioned incredulously. Sam just nodded and waited expectantly. Think 'up', he barely kept from muttering. Now his life was getting strange too. "Ok," his tone was doubtful, but he concentrated on 'up' and to his surprise a round glowing cylinder began to rise from a hole in the platform. His hand tingled as he reached to pick the device up. Sam was already calling Thor as the lights shut down and the ceiling began to fall.

Jack barely had time to register that the cavern had become unstable before he materialized on the bridge of Thor's ship. Looking at the glowing object in his hand, he turned it over a few times. "Doesn't look all that impressive Carter." She smiled at him as she took the ZPM from him. "That thing is going to be able to do all you said it needed to?"

"This is just a power source, but it is a very powerful source. We haven't been able to duplicate anything like this."

"Nor have we," Thor commented from behind the control console. "I have set a course back to Earth. I will inform you when we arrive." Jack felt his stomach twist. They were on their way back to pick up Charlie. They were on their way back to try to save him but first they were going to leave him frozen in the Artic and maybe abandoned in a timeline where he died as a boy and no one would remember him. Sam's hand on his arm pulled him from his thoughts.

"Let's go and get something to eat." She waited for his nod and then led the way to the hold. It only took a couple of minutes to rummage through and find food. Sam produced a can opener and handed him a big can of Spaghetti O's and a spoon. He smiled his thanks. "One of my favorites," he commented getting the feeling she knew that. She handed him a single serving of prepackaged chocolate cake. He accepted the food with a thank you and went to find a spot on the floor, his back against a crate.

Sam rummaged through some more before she came to sit next to him. She'd found a sandwich of some kind and what appeared to be two cups of blue Jell-o. He'd nearly finished his Spaghetti O's and she was starting her first cup of Jell-o when he finally broke the silence. "Charlie has grown into a fine man." He could see that he had her attention, but she didn't interrupt. "He's a second Lieutenant, has his choice of assignments." Jack wasn't sure where he was going with this, but his gut wouldn't stop churning and she had offered to be there for him.

Jack set the can aside and let his head fall back against the side of the crate. "I know what you are saying about the unknown and the best place to protect him is the Antarctic, but what if he wakes up to a world where I'm either dead or don't know him because he died when he was a boy?" He sat up and turned slightly to meet her eyes. "Sam, I see what you are going through because of me. Do I set my boy up to experience that same kind of hell? Do I potentially send him into a world with no one to turn to except a version of his father who never saw him grow up, who doesn't know who he is?"

Jack watched Sam. She put her Jell-o aside and moved sideways to face him. "You love your son Jack, no matter who you end up being on the other side of this, no matter if you can remember Charlie or not, as soon as you know that the young man standing before you is your son, you will do your best to take care of him." Jack knew that was true. He couldn't imagine not loving Charlie, even if he couldn't remember raising him, but that wouldn't be enough for Charlie. He would still feel like he lost his father.

"You told me about the possibility that I would disappear and go back to being the man that you remember, the one that doesn't remember Charlie. You also told me that you might disappear and not remember any of this. What kinds of other things could happen?" He needed to know to make this decision. He needed all the facts that he could get. Sam looked down at her crossed legs and fiddled with the hem of her pants for a second.

"I'm not sure. I've been thinking about ways that Ba'al could have changed the timeline and what we will have to do to be able to reset it. It might be that we both cease to exist and the events unfold as they did during the ceremony originally, except that this time after Ba'al breaks free nothing else happens. Teal'c and Vala don't disappear. If that is the case then Ba'al may still kill you and if I don't have memories of it happening I won't know to try to stop him."

Jack watched her face pale and her hand shake slightly as she pressed it to her knee and tried to steady herself. He reached toward her and took her hand in his, squeezing it in reassurance. Sam visibly composed herself, but didn't take her hand from his. "We might find that we somehow are brought into the new timeline depending on if we are protected by Thor's shielding or perhaps the shielding that I would suspect would surround any machine capable of this. If that happens then depending on how it is reset I will survive. Depending on the point in the timeline, only one of me exists just as only one of Daniel and Cam exists." She raised her head and met his eyes.

By the look on Sam's face, Jack braced himself but continued to rub his thumb over the back of her hand in reassurance. "Because you're you and not an alternate reality Jack, where there would be small almost undetectable differences at a molecular level, there can't be two of you at the same time in the same place so I am not sure what would happen in that case. More then likely the entropic effect caused by the duality of two identical objects trying to occupy the same space at the same time would kill the both of you, maybe tear you apart. There is a chance that one of you would simply cease to exist, much as Teal'c and Vala did. I am assuming that in that case as we reset the timeline, because you are a product of experiences produced by the anomaly Ba'al created, it would be you that didn't survive, but that is just an educated guess."

"So about that sugar coating Carter, maybe a little wouldn't be a bad idea," he stated wryly as he ran his hand through his grey hair. Sam smiled crookedly and let her eyes fall to their hands. They were both silent, each lost in their own thoughts. Jack was the first to break the silence. "Depending on what happens there might not be anyone at all that knows who Charlie is except maybe Thor."

"That's right." Sam didn't back away from telling him hard truths. Jack respected that. He at least knew he had all the facts. "You said Charlie graduated the academy, he's about to embark on a career in the Air Force." Sam was waiting for his response, he didn't know where she was going with the line of questions, but he doubted it was just out of curiosity. He nodded his agreement and watched the look that he was coming to associate with her mental wheels turning cross her face.

"When I was just starting out in the Air Force, my dad made choices for me and as much as I respected him, I hated that. Having a general for a father made it hard in the beginning. I was often faced with having to prove myself on my own merits because most people assumed my father had helped to pave my way. Sometimes he tried. I fought him when he tried to override my choices and things were tough for the both of us. In later years he came to respect my abilities and my choices. I lost him a few years back, but the last few years we got really close. I will always treasure that time."

Jack thought about what she was saying. He could acknowledge that Charlie was a man, but he was also his son and every instinct in Jack said protect him. "You're saying to give him the choice?" His voice was harsher then he meant it to be, but Sam didn't flinch.

"I'm not sure what I'm saying Jack. I can't tell you what to do about your son. I'm not a mother, but I have been in Charlie's shoes. I've had impossible decisions to make and I can tell you that I was much happier when I was making those decisions and not fighting with my dad and feeling like he was walking all over my choices and, yes, that included the life and death decisions as well."

Jack thought about what she'd said. He had a lot of information and wasn't quite ready to process it. He needed to let it sink in. "I think you might have mentioned once that you didn't like people making decisions for you." He pointed out changing the subject away from Charlie. "How did I kill you before, Sam?" He'd been curious since she'd made the statement. For a minute Jack wasn't sure if she was going to answer.

"An alien entity took over my mind. No one realized that it had forced my consciousness into an isolated computer system." She paused, studying their hands, still locked together. He thought for a moment that she would pull back, but she didn't. "The entity was trying to take over the SGC computers. It thought we'd attacked it when we sent a probe to its world." When she brought her eyes back up to his he felt his heart tighten in response. When she looked into his eyes that way he felt like she was looking right into him and seeing him in ways no one ever had. It was exciting and discomforting all at the same time.

"You shot me with a Zat gun twice."

"One shot stuns, two shots kill," he supplied, remembering their conversations from the hold. At his statement she nodded.

"You did what you had to. You couldn't let the entity invade the SGC computers. It wanted us all dead to protect its world. It turned out ok." He marveled that she didn't seem upset by the fact that she'd been nearly killed at his hand. "When you were going to destroy the computer system that the entity built, Daniel noticed me trying to get everyone's attention. Our CMO figured out a way to give me a chance to find my way back into my own body." It was his turn to drop his eyes down to their hands. He slid his fingers along her palm and played with her fingers absently.

"You said Ba'al doesn't get to win, that he doesn't get to take me away from you again." The shadow that passed across her face confirmed what he was thinking. "You meant more then just him futzing with the timeline didn't you?" When she tried to pull her hands back, he didn't let her. Keeping his fingers intertwined with hers, he reached for her with his other hand and tipped her chin up where he could see her face better. "I need to know what I'm up against here Carter," he gently reminded her before he pulled back and allowed her to drop her gaze.

Sam's eyes grew bright with unshed tears and he thought he caught a glimpse of guilt there as well, but he dismissed it as his imagination. What could this amazing, honorable woman have to feel guilty about? Jack felt a little bad pushing her, but Ba'al was the guy that set all of this in motion. They could conceivably end up facing him and Jack was a big believer in knowing your enemy better then that enemy knew you.

"I've never talked about this with you," She smiled sadly at her statement before continuing. "I tried to once, but he, you I mean, shut me down." She didn't seem to want to go any further, but he waited her out and before long Sam launched into telling him about how he'd been sick and about the 'good aliens'. Jack was floored. The idea of giving over his body voluntarily to another being, even on a temporary basis, felt wrong on so many levels he didn't bother to count.

"I agreed to this 'blending'?" He sat back away from her, but this time Sam was the one to hold on to him and not let him go.

"For me you did," she confirmed quietly squeezing his hands before letting them go. He didn't move away from her. He barely knew here, but he felt more strongly for her then he could ever remember feeling. He could see loving her enough to do something so repugnant to everything he believed not only because she asked, but because he didn't want to leave her. "I asked you to when you didn't want to and you did. I'm so sorry. Ba'al put you through hell. I don't think the shadow of what he did to you ever left your eyes." She visibly gathered her courage before looking him in the eyes and explaining how his body had been hijacked. She explained how Ba'al had killed him over and over and each time revived him only to do it again.

Jack could read between the lines of how that would have haunted him. His time in that god forsaken prison camp was a nightmare he relived way too often and his captors at that time had limitations on what they could do to him and still keep him alive. If he could be revived every time he died then, unfortunately he could imagine what it must have been like being tortured by Ba'al.

"Ok well, let's not get captured by this bad guy, OK Carter?" Jack changed the subject back to safer waters. Sam lightened her hold on him and smiled slightly. "Look Sam, you say that I'm him," at her nod, he continued on. "So I'm telling you right now that I am sure I didn't blame you. Ok?" She didn't immediately say anything. He didn't know her as well as he would like to yet, but he could see she blamed herself and wasn't going to let go of that. Without the memories of what had happened or what led up to it, his absolution didn't hold water with her. He could understand that and he couldn't think of any way around it but to change the subject.

"So more then likely I'm the one that will go poof at the end of all this." His matter of fact comment made Sam wince. "It's fact, Carter" he pointed out not feeling up to another science lesson.

"Did any of it help you make any decisions?" The concern he saw in her face made the decisions he was facing feel a little less impossible.

"Some," he concluded. "I still have a lot of thinking to do about Charlie." He picked up her hand again enjoying the causal touch. She said she saw him as Jack, different but the same. He'd selfishly wanted her to see him as someone completely different, but he wasn't totally different. He understood enough to get that, but he could be patient when he needed to and he was determined to take things slow. He'd broken her trust and yet she was still trying to be there for him.

Jack decided in that moment that he wanted to teach her to trust him again. It had been a long time since he'd pursued a woman and he found himself looking forward to it. Your timing is impeccable O'Neill, he told himself. In the middle of a fight to save the whole universe you're making back up plans to win over the girl. It was the one bright spot in the tangled mess he found himself in. "I'm glad I'm not alone Sam. Thanks for being here for me."

"No problem" she answered, but something in her voice sounded breathy. Curious, he looked up at Sam and was surprised to see her eyes dilated and color rising in her cheeks.

Frowning at her reaction, Jack suddenly realized that as he'd been thinking, he'd flipped her hand over and had been drawing lazy circles on the inside of her wrist. The skin of her arm was now covered in gooseflesh. "Sweet spot?" he chuckled as her blush deepened. He noticed she didn't pull her arm away. On impulse he lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the inside of her palm. He was rewarded with a sexy startled intake of breath for his troubles.

With a wicked smile, he leaned into her and lowered his voice to a whisper. "I'll have to remember that for another time," he told her, willing to take things slow. When her eyes widened at his closeness but she didn't back off, his smile spread and turned warm. Leaning into her space, he reached just past her. He picked up his unopened chocolate cake and leaned back to hold it between them. "Share with me?" he asked.

"You do owe me after you stole my candy bar," she informed him, a smile gracing her lips. Not wanting to push her any further and enjoying the quiet camaraderie between them, Jack opened the package and held it out for her to break a piece off. As he broke his own piece off he watched her lick the chocolate from her fingers in about the same way that he'd done to her with the candy bar. "Thanks O'Neill, this is good." She stressed his name as she sucked the last of the chocolate off of one elegantly long, sexy finger.

A thought suddenly occurred to him. She'd called him O'Neill and was still flirting with him. "You're flirting with me," he said, more to himself then her. She'd been calling him Jack ever since she'd finished talking to Daniel and she'd called him O'Neill when she was flirting with him. He might be a little dense, but she was definitely flirting with him, him, not a ghost. He shook his head at the pronoun use. Timeline crap was complicated. "I mean the me here right now," he clarified with a wince at the inept wording.  
Sam's smile was indulgent and full of amusement. "So I am," she agreed. She reached forward and broke off one more small piece of cake. He could feel his body reacting when she slowly eased the chocolate confection between her lips and then used her little pink tongue to catch the crumbs left behind. He supposed that turn about was fair play, but certain parts of his anatomy could definitely imagine what that little pink tongue would feel like. "That is just mean you know" he pointed out, shifting a little uncomfortably.

"I remember thinking so" she laughed. He liked her laugh Jack decided, thinking that he would like to hear it more often. Brushing her hands off to clear the crumbs Sam turned sober. "I think you need some time to think about Charlie, Jack." She was right, he did. "I'm going to go and take a nap. I couldn't sleep before and I'm whipped." She stood up and stretched out the stiffness in her limbs. Jack enjoyed watching her move. Her body was soft in the right places, but strong and powerful as well. He found the combination fascinating.

Jack felt like they'd started to turn a corner after she'd talked to Jackson. His body was alive with the impulse to stand up and catch her to him and just hold on, but he didn't want to push. He was grateful for her support with Charlie and the whole flirting, getting to know her thing was beyond anything he could have wished for. "Thank you Sam," he said sliding a hand under the leg of her pant and squeezing the sculpted muscle of her bare calf. He didn't linger, but released her leg and leaned his head back to allow her to see the gratitude he felt.

"You're welcome," she said simply. She made no move to pull away. She studied him for a moment before laying her hand on his shoulder and squeezing. "If you need me anymore come find me, I don't mind." He nodded at her words and felt her slide her hand to his back for a moment as she moved away. He wasn't alone. He was making the hardest decision of his life, but he wasn't alone and that made a world of difference.


	22. Falling

Chapter 22

Jack stood up and deposited their trash in a plastic bag he found. Setting it aside, he found himself in front of the crate marked 'O'Neill'. He took the lid off and rummaged through until he found what he was looking for. The box of Belgian chocolate was full except for the one he'd take out earlier. The entire box had been placed in a resalable plastic container to keep it fresh. He opened the top and placed one in his shirt pocket. He figured he owed her one of those and he wanted to be prepared when the time arrived.

Out of curiosity, Jack did a little more rummaging. His eyes lit up with excitement. A color Game Boy with extra batteries was sitting on the bottom of the crate along with a picture of Sam and a picture of Charlie when he was 9 or 10, Jack wasn't sure which. The picture was old and worn. It had obviously been carried quite often.

Jack felt sad looking at the photo. The boy in the picture was his Charlie, but this version had died. Flipping the print over, he recognized the handwriting and the date, 1994. Jack remembered being stationed at the academy for a little while during that time. He'd been recovering from some injury. He couldn't remember what now or even which mission he'd been on when he'd been injured. He was on light duty and so was assigned to shuttle dignitaries around, help teach classes, basically whatever the command needed him to do while he was waiting to be released from his doctor's care.

Studying the picture one more time, he noticed that the background was the academy parade grounds. Jack remembered taking Charlie there with him. He even remembered taking pictures. It had been so long that he couldn't remember this exact picture, but it was possible that he'd had one just like it. Jack's eyes suddenly flared wide as he remembered back to that week. The day after the picture was taken, he'd been assigned to escort a group of scientists, astronauts in the making, when they arrived at the academy.

The lead scientist on the project was a beautiful young woman named Samantha Carter. He didn't know why he hadn't remembered the incident until now. He'd picked up the group, escorted them to the academy and, in the process of watching them unload their gear, one of the group, he couldn't remember the man's name, had tripped at the edge of the dock. He'd fallen into Samantha Carter and overbalanced her. Jack, without thinking reacted by stepping forward to break her fall, but because he was several steps lower then she was it hadn't gone so well. She'd fallen back on him and broken two of his newly healing ribs, almost puncturing a lung.

Jack remembered being off duty and stuck at home for the next two months. He'd been bored, driven Sara up the wall and lived for his son coming home from school so that they could play video games or watch movies. Charlie became his only source of entertainment and it had probably ended up being a good thing. Jack hadn't had the time to spend with his son like that. His forced downtime had created a new bond between them.

Since his lack of time with Charlie had been the chief cause of fights within his marriage, even that had gotten better. His relationship with his wife and especially his son still had complications, but after that time he'd made them much more of a priority then he had before. Sara had liked to point out that the two men in her life had needed that time to bond and that Jack had needed the time to see how much his presence in their lives mattered.

Jack stared at the picture again. He found himself rushing back for the bridge. He needed some information and he knew just where to get it. Barely 10 minutes later Jack stood on the same platform he'd found Sam on earlier. Thor had shown him how to use the holographic phone thingy and he was staring at Daniel's sitting at the kitchen table, reading the paper.

"Jackson," he called, watching the Doctor jump in surprise and spill the coffee he was attempting to drink down the front of him. The liquid must have been hot because Daniel was now holding the wet shirt away from his skin, fanning it back and fort. "Hi Jack," there was a forbearing tone to his voice as he got up and headed out of the kitchen and back down the hall. Jack assumed his bedroom was back there.

Jack thought about following the archeologist into the bedroom and found himself there just in time to see the younger man toss his wet shirt in the hamper and begin to fish in the drawer for a clean one. "So what brings you by Jack?" The hologram phone must have worked intuitively.

"This is all just normal stuff for you isn't it?" He'd wanted to ask one of them that since he landed on the ship. They took everything in stride. He thought he did that well, but these people had it down to a science. Jackson glanced at him as he sat down in chair next to the bed and reached for the shoes sitting there. "No actually, even for me this is a little strange, but you sort of just learn to roll with the punches. Actually Jack, you taught me that by example. In those early years when we didn't know what to expect on the other side of the Stargate, you never got very excited about the stuff being thrown our way. That was very comforting when the world was blowing up around me, sometimes literally."

"Now see, that's just weird." When Daniel didn't question him, Jack went on. "You, Sam, Thor, all just seem to be sure that I'm your Jack, just with a few different memories. I'm trying to get there. It makes sense the way Sam explains it and I figure the little alien guy knows what he's doing, but it just feels weird sometimes to hear stuff like that."

"Yeah I sort of died once and got sent back without my memories a year later. It felt pretty strange to have you all show up and know so much about me so I understand what you mean," Daniel agreed.

"Died, you say?" Jack asked incredulously

"More then once, you get used to it," Daniel's tone was matter of fact.

Unsure what to say to that, but strangely comforted, Jack nodded his head and changed the subject. "How well do you know what happened to your Jack's Charlie?" He could see the hesitation on the doctor's part, so instead of waiting for an answer Jack began to tell the story about his accident and showed Daniel the picture of his son from the other timeline and the date on the back. He didn't mention that the woman that had fallen on him had been Sam. As he finished his tale the Jackson got quiet, thoughtful. "Do the dates match? Do you know when Charlie shot himself?"

"I stayed with Jack for a while after I got back from Abydos the first time. My wife had just been kidnapped and Jack was trying to make me feel better by getting me drunk. I didn't drink that much back then and I don't really like beer so I probably nursed the same bottle most of the night, but Jack went through quite a bit. That was the one and only time that he really opened up to me about the accident." Jackson rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward in thought.

"From what I understand, Jack was recovering from injuries sustained on a mission. He was cleared for light duty and doing whatever they needed him to at the Academy. He had been teaching a weapons class that ended mid day. He'd gone home and as he was changing clothes he'd gotten a call that the base commander had been hurt in an accident and the he was needed right away."

Jack remembered that accident and interrupted Jackson to say so. "I wasn't called in because I was on medical leave, but it had been a big deal as I remember. All officers assigned to base had been recalled immediately. Turned out to be an accident but for a while I don't think anyone was sure. That's why they called all officers back in."

Daniel nodded at Jack's story. "That sounds about right," he confirmed. "Jack was there until 6pm or so before he made it back home." The younger man met his eyes considering before he continued on. "That's when he heard the shot. It wasn't until he and Sara rushed upstairs and saw Charlie that Jack realized that in all the confusion and rush he'd forgotten to pick his gun back up and take it with him."

"He put it on the nightstand and that's where Charlie found it," Jack finished for him. When Daniel stood up, questions on his face, Jack knew what he was asking. "I know that because that is always where I'd put my gun. I'd change clothes with the door shut, Charlie never opened the bedroom door without knocking. I'd get done, sit on the bed, put my socks on, put the gun in the drawer and lock it up. But that day, if I was in a hurry I could see forgetting. Under those circumstances, with a possible attack on the base commander, I can see it maybe happening."

Jack felt shock race through him. If it hadn't been for a clumsy geek knocking his timeline's Sam Carter off the steps, Jack would probably have done the same thing with the same results. "That was in 1994," he pointed out. "Do you know where Sam would have been assigned during that year? I mean this Sam, not the astronaut." Jack was impressed as he saw understanding beginning to dawn across Jackson's face. The man was quick.

"Sam was assigned to the Stargate project sometime in 1992. She would have been at the Pentagon in 1994." Jackson took a couple more steps across the bedroom and stood facing Jack. The young man's astonishment was plain. "Sam was the scientist that fell on you wasn't she?" he asked. At Jack's nod the doctor dropped back onto the bed before tilting his head up to stare. "That was the difference the Stargate made. That small of an event, Sam tripping and cracking your rib..." Daniel's voice was full of wonder as Jack interrupted him.

"Breaking them, not cracking and two of them actually," Jack corrected. "That one event, that one meeting changed my life. It probably saved my marriage at the time and Charlie and I got closer then we'd ever been. Sara always said that is when I learned to open up and be a father." Jack shrugged, unconvinced about that statement, but the fact remained. Jack found himself sharing Daniel's wonder. Samantha Carter of his timeline had saved his son's life without even knowing it and now they were on their way to see if she could help do that again.

"Thanks Jackson," he started to reach for the crystal that would disconnect the transmission when Daniel stood up and crossed the room toward him.

"No problem Jack, but do you think you could call me Daniel?" Jack nodded. He realized that he liked the younger man. He was very direct for a geek scientist. He could see tolerating him. "Daniel," he agreed. "We're almost back to earth." He wasn't sure why he'd blurted that out. "I'm not so sure that freezing Charlie is what I should do." He used the hand that had reached for the crystal to run through his short grey hair in frustration.

"It's a big responsibility to decide how someone we love should live," the statement was delivered with an innocent look, but Jack could see the point hurtling at him like a ton of bricks. He wanted to pace, fidget, he found himself reaching for the stone on the control panel in front of him before stopping himself. Moving that stone would disconnect them, he admonished himself. "Subtle Daniel," Jack mocked.

"Too dramatic?" he questioned.

"Kind of," Jack agreed.

The doctor pushed his glasses up on his face further in a gesture Jack decided was more habit than need. "So have you thought anymore about what you going to say to him?" Nope, the man could not be accused of being subtle.

"I am not sure what my decision is." Jack marveled at how at ease he felt with the young scientist. As private a man as Jack was, he found himself opening up to Jackson and telling him about his son's graduation and how proud he'd been.

"A second Lt in the Air Force," Daniel said. "You must be really proud of him."

"I am," Jack agreed with a smile.

"So if he is trained to fight, old enough to fight, isn't he old enough to have a say in his own future?" Daniel made sense. Jack had already been leaning in that direction.

"I've thought of that. Sam was right. I don't have the right to decide for him." Jack wasn't sure what to say to his son, but he knew he couldn't just have Thor beam him into the stasis pod in Antarctica. "Good Jack, I think you're making the right decision. I'm glad that Sam was able to help you. She's a pretty amazing person."

Jack chucked at the doctors statement. "Not working on the subtle tonight are you?" At Jackson's slight shrug, Jack smiled. "She seems to being doing well. We just had dinner and she went to rest. I'm not going to do anything to hurt her, including rushing her OK?"

Jackson's intense scrutiny didn't last long but it made Jack want to squirm. The doctor seemed satisfied. "Ok, good." Jack felt like he'd passed some sort of test, but he wasn't sure what it was.

"Ok." Jack agreed. "I better..." he motioned over his shoulder. "Thanks Daniel," he said as he disconnected. Jack had a lot to think about. The information on how his timeline was different from the one in which Charlie died wasn't particularly helpful, but it was something that amazed him. Such a small difference changed three lives. Turning to Thor he confirmed that they were still a few hours out. Seeking the quiet of his quarters, Jack thought briefly of waking Sam, but he wasn't what else she could say to him. He had a lot of thinking to do before they arrived on Earth and he needed to do it alone.

***

Sam pushed the pillow off of her head and pressed the button on her watch, turning off the alarm. Stretching her arms above her head, she arched her back and tried to ease the stiffness from it. She hadn't realized how exhausted she was. The stress of the last few weeks had really taken its toll. Rolling out of bed, she ran a comb through her hair and dressed. Just as she sat down on the bed to put her boots back on, a knock at the door put a smile on her face.

"Wow, you look terrible Jack," Sam backed up a step to allow him in.

"Thanks Carter," he softened the sarcasm with a tired smile. "I've been up most of the night thinking about Charlie." Sam wasn't surprised. She closed the door and followed him into the room. When he sat down on the footlocker at the end of the bed, she took the same chair she'd been in the last time he'd come to her room. As he gathered his thoughts she couldn't help comparing last time he'd been sitting there with this time.

Sam flashed back to the last time he'd been in her room. Things had gotten pretty intense between them until Jack had stopped things. Now she was glad he'd stopped them. It had helped her see the situation between the two of them and seek out Daniel's advice, but the things he had been doing to her had felt amazing. When she'd first met Jack O'Neill in that briefing room so many years ago, he'd looked her up and down and she'd felt her stirrings deep in her belly in response. His assessment had been so blatantly masculine it had been enough to fuel fantasies for weeks, but more then anything else at the time she wanted to make him see her as a soldier. She wanted him to respect her abilities as a scientist and an air force officer.

Sam smiled. She'd gotten all she wanted and more. Jack had come to respect her, to see her as a 'kick ass soldier' and think of her as a national treasure. That had been a long time ago. The man sitting across from her accepted her as an equal almost right off the bat. Sam suddenly realized, now that she was older and secure in her roll as a scientist and soldier, she found herself wanting Jack to see her more as a woman.

With all that they had to do she wasn't sure there would be time to get to know this side of Jack like that, but she found herself excited by the prospect. "Talk to me Jack," she instructed when he took longer then she expected to open up. "We'll be back home in less then an hour. What are you thinking about with Charlie?"

"I think that this all sucks and I want my son safe," he held up his hand to keep her from replying. "But that isn't an option so you and Daniel have convinced me that I need to give him a say in what happens to him."

Sam was surprised at his mention of Daniel, but filed that away for later. "What did you have in mind?" she asked. Jack took a deep breath and raised his face to her, obviously watching for her reaction. "I want to give him the chance to help us save this universe," he stated firmly. "I'm going to encourage him to wait it out in the pod in Antarctica, but I don't think he will take that option. That leaves him with going back to the planet and helping Daniel and Mitchell, which we both know will be a death sentence as soon as the timeline is reset, or coming with us and helping us until the last minute. Then he stays with Thor, protected by the shields. Those are the options I want to give him."

Sam was floored as Jack finished and waited for her response. She was surprised that he was going to give Charlie the option of fighting along side them and shocked that he was basically checking to see if she agreed with his choices. Charlie was a trained air force officer, but he had no field experience. She had every faith in his father, but the mission was too important to risk.

Charlie staying with Cam and Daniel wasn't an option she would even consider. She dismissed it out of hand. If Charles O'Neill was anything like his father, he would be an independent thinker. If he decided that perhaps his father had been compromised while they were on their way to Atlantis, he could give away Cam and Daniel. On the other hand, having him aboard the ship would not be a hardship. An extra hand would not be bad and, if she admitted it herself, Sam would like to get to know the young man.

"I don't believe offering him the opportunity to help Daniel and Cam is really an option Jack, too much could go wrong, but allowing him the choice to come with us is a viable option," Sam offered. She was relieved when Jack didn't argue. Strategically Jack was light years ahead of most any commander she'd ever worked with. She figured that he already knew she wouldn't like that option. Smiling now, Jack stood up and reached to pull her with him. "Thank you Sam. I mean it. I am probably going to need more help if he accepts the offer to come with us. He's my boy. I never intended to be in the field with him."

Sam could tell how hard it had been on Jack to give his son a say and not just arbitrarily decide how best to protect him. "I'll be here, Jack, I know how hard the decision was for you," she smiled at the thought of father and son working together. If SG1 thought Jack O'Neill was protective she could imagine how he'd be with his own untried son. "Maybe you should let me give Charlie orders," Sam suggested. Jack didn't answer, but smiled and pulled her to him, enfolding her in his arms.

Sam returned the hug and allowed herself to enjoying the feel of his arms enveloping her. When Jack leaned back and cupped her checks carefully she was ready for it and didn't flinch. She allowed her eyes to flutter shut as she felt his lips slide sensually along hers. He didn't deepen the kiss, but she still felt the beginning of arousal deep in her belly. As he broke the kiss, Jack smiled down at her and pressed his lips to her forehead before stepping back and releasing her. His face wasn't as lined as it had been a moment ago. He seemed more at ease when he spoke. "I know I'm doing the right thing, but I wouldn't have seen it without you. When we have some time I need to tell you the difference you've made in all of our lives without even realizing it, but right now how about I go introduce you to my son."


	23. Frozen Chuck

Chapter 23 - Frozen Chuck?

"You're sure this is going to work Carter?" Jack eyed his cell phone doubtfully as he dialed. "I mean I didn't see any cell towers along the side of the road as we parked."

"Thor is boosting the signal. You dial Charlie and he will lock on to the phone on the other end, make sure there are no other life signs in the area and bring him aboard." Jack stopped dialing and lowered his hand. He could just imagine how productive that conversation between he and his son would be. Charlie would focus on nothing but the fact that he was on an alien ship. At least when Jack had been plucked up and deposited on the spaceship, he'd read the reports from the three stranded SG1 members. He'd had Sam beside him. There was a frame of reference, no matter how small, for the weirdness that ensued.

"Now see, I had this figured a little differently." Sam's eyes narrowed at his statement. He'd expected as much. "Come on Sam, you know I need to go and talk to him face to face, before I bring him aboard." Snapping his phone shut and slipping it into his pocket he crossed over to where she and Thor stood. "You both have got to know that I'm on board with the plan to save our collective asses. You have asked me to trust you Sam, now I'm asking for the same." He could understand her hesitation. In her shoes he'd be feeling the same. There was a lot of trust involved in allowing him to beam back down to the planet alone.

Jack watched Sam's face as she considered the options. "You're right, Jack. I can't see bringing him up until you've prepared him." The quiet confidence of her voice told him she was at ease with her decision. He remembered his amazement when it was revealed that she commanded Earth's first outpost in a far away galaxy. It was obvious that she was used to the weight of command on her shoulders.

Now that he wasn't fighting her, Jack noticed what a sure, confident leader she made. He could completely see her being in command of an outpost in a far away galaxy. She'd be amazing at it. She had that rare competent command air about her that Jack had learned to respect in the officers he'd recognized it in over the years. Seeing that quality in the woman in from of him had a surprising effect on him.

Jack found it an incredible turn on. The black t-shirt she was wearing set off her blond hair and blue eyes. Jack was struck by how really exquisite this woman was. When she came around the console to face him, it occurred to him that she was his ideal woman. "Kick ass soldier" the him on the recording had stated, add to that the brains, humor, and smoking hot body and she was better than any fantasy he'd ever dreamed up. It hit him again just how much he wanted the time to properly get to know this woman. Her words about the probable outcomes of their mission haunted him.

Jack knew he didn't have a lot of time before he would mostly likely dissolve into nothingness as if he'd never existed. It would all be worth it if his son and Sam were safe, but he couldn't help the regret that ate at his gut. He'd found a woman he'd give anything to have in his life and the only way to protect her and his son was to send her back to a world where he didn't exist. Well, not the me I remember, he corrected himself then shook his head as the confusing jumble rambled across his mind. "Oh for crying out loud," he muttered under his breath, scrubbing a hand over his face. Focus O'Neill, he told himself. Focus on the mission and not the results.

"Go ahead and dial him on your cell," she instructed. "If he's in a public place get him to go back to where he's staying. When he is someplace private we'll put you down near him. After you have prepared him use this crystal to signal us and Thor will bring you both back on board." He took the tear drop shaped crystal from her and dropped it in his shirt pocket. "Good luck Jack," her eyes softened on his face and he felt his heart skip a beat. "You are doing the right thing." Her support meant a great deal to him.

"We must hurry O'Neill," Thor interrupted. "The rift in the space time continuum has enlarged since I last monitored it."

"Are we cutting it too close here little buddy?" he questioned, worried that they wouldn't be able to do everything they needed to in the time left. The task sounded impossibly huge in his opinion. He trusted that SG1 and Thor knew what they were talking about, but he was taking a lot on faith.

"There is still time, but the rift is moving faster then I originally observed." He was busy making calculations. Jack watched for a moment before catching Sam's eye. She had moved to look over the alien's shoulder. She studied his readings for a moment before looking back up and smiling reassuringly at him. "We still have time Jack. Go ahead and dial. I am looking forward to meeting Charlie." Her quiet confidence helped calm some of the butterflies in his stomach.

Dialing, the phone barely rang once before Charlie answered. "Were you sitting on the phone kid?" he teased. He had to pull the phone away from his ear for a moment as Charlie shot questions at him. "Hang on a sec Son," he noticed Sam's nod and realized that she'd traced the signal.

"He's alone in a hotel room in Florida," she stated just loud enough for him to hear her, but careful her voice didn't carry over the phone. "It appears to be a suite. He is in the bedroom area. I am going to set you down in the hall right outside his door. The hall is deserted at the moment and a sweep of his room reveals no hidden surveillance equipment." Wow, she was thorough, he thought. Nodding his agreement he felt the light from the transport beam envelope him and then he was standing in the hall outside of room 407.

"I'm right outside your door Charlie," he told the worried young man. "Come let me in." When the boy opened the door, Jack enveloped him in a hug that his son returned immediately. At 6'1 Charlie was almost as tall as Jack, but the man in his arms still felt like his little boy. Forcing himself to release Charlie, he stepped into the suite and closed the door behind them. Clicking the night lock on the door to help ensure they were not disturbed, Jack was barely into the room when he was peppered with questions.

"Easy Son," he instructed. "I'll answer everything for you, but we don't have much time and I need your help." Jack figured that the best approach to take with his son was one that would have worked on him at that age.

Charlie was looking at him in that way Sara used to. The 'you are up to something I'm not going to like' way, "Dad, you've been declared missing. Your plane is missing. I just talked to General Hammond last night. What is going on? Is it some kind of a mission? Why do you need my help? Have I been assigned to help you?"

Jack couldn't pass up the chance to make the young man squirm a bit. It was a parental imperative. "I'm Special Forces Charlie, why would you be assigned a mission with me? You decided against Special Forces quite a while ago."

"Dad," Charlie met his eyes without hesitation. Jack was impressed. The boy knew how much his father hadn't wanted him to follow in his very dangerous footsteps and after that last statement he had to have a clue that Jack had already gotten wind of his son's change in specializations. "I was going to tell you this week." The young man sighed and ran a hand through his hair making it spike up like a lighter version of Jack's. "I don't know why I thought someone wouldn't tell you. I'm sorry Dad. I wanted to be the one to tell you. I know you don't want me to go that route, but the offer..."

"I know all about the offer Charlie," Jack interrupted before he could go further. He was glad that his son had been willing to tell about the new assignment without backing down or dissembling. It showed a maturity he was pleased with in light of the choices Jack was about to present to him. "This isn't an official Air Force mission, but the fate of an entire universe rests in the balance." At the incredulous look Charlie fixed him with Jack chuckled. "Yeah I thought that was a little over the top myself. Here come sit down and let me explain what is going on."

After procuring Charlie's promise to listen to him first before asking questions and to never repeat anything he was being told, Jack began the story. He gave the young man a rundown of his mission in Antarctica, of the strange events and the even stranger people that he'd picked up off the ice. He told him honestly of his assignment to see if Colonel Samantha Carter, yes the same woman that had been an astronaut in this timeline, was a threat. Jack hesitated at the next part.

"This is where things get candid camera weird, Charlie."

"Weirder then you not chewing me a new one for selecting Special Forces and not discussing it with you Dad?" he pointed out. "You passed candid camera a few sentences ago. We're solidly Twilight Zone here."

"Only a few," Jack questioned with a chuckle at his son's tone.

"Yeah well pretty much from the time we sat down," Charlie pointed out dryly.

Jack smiled, he was probably right.

"Ok well the plane didn't just disappear. Colonel Carter and I were having a discussion," Jack hesitated at the memory of their last minutes on the plane. He'd been so sure she'd been a threat to his world, when in reality she'd been its only hope. "We were having a discussion, I thought she was a threat to our world, and then a flash of light happened and I was standing on an alien space ship watching her hug ET."

Charlie shot off of the couch and turned to tower over his still seated father. His anger was in every line of his body. "Ok Dad, your plane went missing and you expect me to believe it was hijacked by little green men?" His voice rose from incredulous to anger. "What's next Dad? Do I help you kill the alien and then you help me and the Winchester boys kill demons? I mean if we are going to rid the world of plane abducting aliens, we should rid it of soul stealing demons right?"

"This isn't a plot in one of those science fictions you watch and it isn't a joke Charlie. I don't appreciate attitude." Jack tone was stern, but he tried to keep his anger in check. This was a lot to take in. He was more than a little surprised when Charlie stood up and towered over where Jack was sitting.

"And I don't appreciate you playing games and wasting both of our time Dad. If you can't tell me what really happened just say 'classified'. It's not like you haven't used that one before."

Jack could see where Charlie might have a bit of trouble accepting the alien abduction story. He'd been prepared for that. What he hadn't been prepared for was the blatant disrespect he felt directed his way. He'd thought they got past this kind of thing a long time ago. Slowly standing up, Jack found himself toe to toe with his son, literally. Charlie had moved into Jack's bubble to tower over him in his anger.

When Jack stood, it put him squarely in his son's space. He was a little surprised when Charlie held his ground angrily and didn't take a step back. He admitted to himself that he'd expected a retreat. Allowing his son to see not just a pissed off father, but an offended hard assed Colonel standing in front of him, it occurred to him that the boy had gotten a lot tougher then he realized. The academy could do that, but he hadn't realized until now just how big the change was.

Jack didn't top his son's height by much, but by the way the boy's eyes shot wide and his face blanched, he didn't need to. Charlie rarely pushed his father far and now he'd just spent years learning how to respond to a chain of command. Being faced with his father's displeasure was one thing. Seeing a side of his father that had never been really directed his way was quite another. Stepping back, Charlie barely managed not to come to attention.

"I'm sorry Dad," he said sincerely. "I've been worried sick about you. I thought you left me for real this time and now you show up joking about aliens. It's not funny." Jack could see the hurt under his son's schooled features. He was such a combination of Sara and himself. He was tough as nails, but he had Sara's soft heart buried under there. Jack relaxed is body language and reached for his son. Holding his shoulders, he squeezed reassuringly and held the boy's eyes.

"I'm not joking with you Charlie and I will prove it to you, but you have to take it on faith that I'm telling you the truth for just a little while longer. I have a lot to tell you and you have some decisions to make." Jack searched his son's face and seeing the doubtful, but more open expression, Jack launched into the background of what was happening to the universe and why.

"Dad, how is that possible?" Charlie questioned. He'd been taking everything in without much in the way of comment since they'd sat back down. "If the time line was reset by this Ba'al character, then Colonel Carter and her team wouldn't remember anything either. They wouldn't exist to ever emerge from the Stargate."

"Sam says that she believes that because they were an 'active wormhole' that they were protected from the change." Jack recognized the look on his son's face. "Son, I am not up to a scientific debate with you especially about something I don't understand. You'll meet her in just a little bit, ask her or as Thor."

"Thor is the little alien dude?" The boy was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, Jack had to give him that. They must have talked for another 40 minutes before Charlie settled back on the couch and covered his eyes with his arm. "I can't believe any of this is true, but you wouldn't be sitting here offering me proof if it wasn't." Jack didn't interrupt. Charlie lowered his arm and scooted forward on the couch. Resting his elbows on his knees, be studied his steepled fingers.

When Charlie finally sat up straight and met Jack's eyes, he could tell that his son had made the decision. "You get that I really didn't even consider letting you make me into an O'Neill frozen treat right, Dad?" Charlie wasn't the type to back down from a fight if he thought the cause was worth standing up for. "I'm not going to sit this out while you fight to save me, all of us. I'm a trained officer. I know that's not the same as experienced, but I can help Dad. Thank you for giving me the chance."

"Are you sure Charlie?" Jack couldn't be prouder of his son, but he hated the choices that the boy was being given.

"I'm sure Dad. Besides I think fighting beside you is the lesser risk. I mean freezing me? What if I got frost bite in the wrong area? They might have to amputate little Chuck!" Charlie declared dramatically glancing down in horror at his crotch. Jack couldn't help it. He busted out laughing.

Standing up and stretching out his tired knees, Jack watched Charlie stand up expectantly. "Let's get you're things packed and check out of the hotel. I have a couple people I'd like you to meet. Just trust your old man, son. Can you do that?" Charlie's nod was good enough for him. Briefly pulling him into a hug more for himself then for the boy, Jack held on for a moment before he started to help pack.


	24. Meetings

Chapter 24 - Meetings

Sam finished scanning the Egyptian desert. Locating her target, she glanced over her shoulder at Daniel. She probably could have gotten away with talking to him on the Holovision, as Jack had named Thor's communication system, but she was glad for his company if anything went wrong on the surface. It wasn't that she didn't trust Jack. Sam actually did trust that he was committed to their plan. She was just a little nervous about all the things that could go wrong, including someone that might recognize him actually seeing him.

"There it is." She glanced behind her. Daniel was peering over her shoulder. "Right where Osiris left it," she confirmed. She started feeding coordinates from her station to Thor's. Sam was very pleased with her plan B. She hadn't had time to explain it to Jack, but then again she hadn't thought of it until after he'd beamed down to the surface. She didn't like leaving Earth vulnerable while they were in Pegasus. They'd dedicated their lives to protecting the world. It pretty much came second nature these days to expect plan A to run into difficulties. She also felt much better knowing her team mates had options if they needed them.

"I feel better having our own transportation if Cam and I need it while you're gone," Daniel said as if he'd read her mind. After working together for so long it was almost as if they could read each other's minds. That was one of the things that made them such a good team. Daniel had moved away from her shoulder to give her more room. "Thank you for getting us our very own Al'kesh Sam," he said shrugging his shoulders and smiling the goofy smile he had. All in all he looked about 10 when he did that.

Sam smiled at him gratefully for a moment before turning back to the controls with a chuckle. The look on his face was as innocent as he knew how to make it, which always meant that he was up to something. She was thankful for what he was up to today. Daniel was trying to distract her from the fact that in a few hours she'd be meeting Charlie, Jack's son. That thought started the butterflies again.

"Thor, can you remotely engage the cloak?" she asked, pushing thoughts of Jack and Charlie out of her mind.

"I can Samantha," Thor answered. "I am transporting the ship to the coordinates Colonel Mitchell gave us now.

"Samantha?" Daniel questioned, looking between them.

"It is customary among the Tauri to use a less formal address when speaking to friend, is it not Daniel Jackson?" Sam smiled and ducked her head to keep from laughing at Daniel. Thor had always been so formal with all of them. Daniel looked utterly confused by the alien's statement. Pausing for a moment he got a thoughtful expression. "Well yes that is the custom," he allowed. "But you have never called me Daniel." He pushed his glasses higher on his nose and turned inquisitive eyes squarely on the little alien. Sam cringed inwardly. She knew that look. Daniel was on the verge of deciding if his feelings were hurt, analyzing why and deciding how to fix them. No one stood up under that look for long, not even SG1 could. Even Teal'c was not above backpedalling on the rare occasions he found it focused on him.

"Don't you consider me a friend Thor? I mean I know you've been closer to Sam lately, but I thought we were friends." Daniel's tone must have conveyed the scientist's despair to Thor because he stopped what he was doing and came around to face the hurt archeologist. "I programmed your Zune, Thor. I even showed you how to use the portable DVD player after Teal'c and Jack brought you all those TV shows and movies," the young doctor was on a roll with the list of friendly things he'd done for the Asgard. Sam stayed out of the conversation, but she thought it was interesting that Daniel didn't mention helping to save the Asgard or any of the universally significant things that he'd done. He chose to point out the personal things he'd done for Thor specifically. Way to go with the guilt trip, Sam thought as she watched the interplay between her two friends.

Blinking hugely at Daniel, Thor seemed to consider for a moment and then he reached out and quickly, but very calmly, hugged Daniel around the waist before stepping back. Sam almost lost her battle with the laughter bubbling up in her. Out of all of them she'd spent the most time with Thor one on one. She was beginning to see and appreciate a different side of him, but he still caught her by surprise.

"What was that for?" Daniel asked, his voice raising several octaves as he looked between Sam and Thor perplexed.

"I have been watching the shows that each of you have provided me from your popular culture. Did you not need a hug?" Thor's dead pan delivery and innocent look was too much. Sam had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. She was coming to appreciate the Asgard commander's offbeat sense of humor. No wonder he worked so well with SG1. "I am sorry if I hurt your feelings Daniel. I was unaware of the custom until recently. Though I believe that it is also customary to wait until invited to use a friend's less formal name is it not?"

"Well yes it is. Sam invited you to call her Samantha?"

"She gave me several options. I liked Samantha best."

"Ok, well Daniel is good." Daniel still didn't look sure of the situation, but he turned back to Sam as Thor walked away. Sam was still trying to suppress her laughter when her friend turned back to her. "You found that really funny didn't you?" he accused. She didn't answer him just finished making some calculations on Jack's laptop and feeding them into Thor's computer system. She'd reprogrammed the laptop he'd used on the plane. There really hadn't been much on it so she didn't think that Jack would mind. A laptop was the one thing that they didn't have in storage on the ship.

"O'Neill has signaled," Thor gave them warning just before Jack and his son materialized in the middle of the bridge. They were facing Thor, but Jack swung around to take everything in before turning back to Thor. Sam tried to quiet the churning in her stomach. She could see the differences that having lost this boy made to the Jack she'd served with all those years. It had nearly killed him. The Jack he was now had been willing to coldly kill her, in part because of this boy. Charlie was the most important person in Jack's life and now he was standing in the middle of the bridge looking around. It was obvious the young man was trying to hold himself together and present a good front.

In the split second that Jack turned back to his son Sam realized that she had never been more nervous. All the ramifications of what they were doing hit her at the same time. The fact that she was about to meet the grown son of the man she loved had her stomach in knots. She was very glad for Daniel's presence. If anyone could put them all at ease, he could.

She came around the control panel as Jack began introductions. "Charlie this is Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard fleet." The young man looked incredulously at his father, unsure what to do. She could see the questions on his face. Do you shake an alien's hand, do you wave, what is the proper etiquette of being introduced to a visitor from another planet.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Charlie O'Neill," Thor attempted to put the boy at ease. "Your father is a great friend of the Asgard. You are welcome on my ship for as long as necessary."

"Thank you," Charlie said his voice fairly steady, but his eyebrows climbing into his hairline at the mention of his father being the alien's close friend. Jack's pride in his son was easy to see. Sam could understand why. The young man did not show how nervous he was, though Sam could see the tension in his shoulders and stance. She took a moment to study him. The apple didn't fall far from the tree her father would have said. He was only an inch or so shorter than his father and quite a handsome young man. He had his father's hair and as he turned to her she could see the same chiseled features as Jack. His lips were a little fuller, giving him a less severe look, but there was no mistaking whose son this was.

"This is Dr. Daniel Jackson," Jack introduced, waiting until Charlie finished shaking Daniel's hand before moving on to her. "And this is Colonel Samantha Carter," he finished. Charlie's eyes widen slightly and he snapped to attention. "Pleased to meet you ma'am," his training showed in his stance.

"At ease Charlie," Sam said, hoping her voice was calmer then her stomach. "It is a pleasure to meet you too. Your dad has told us so much about you." He smiled in acknowledgement before turning back to his father. Jack smiled reassuringly. "I know this is all a lot to take in." Jack glanced over his shoulder at Sam and Daniel. "So Daniel decided to stop by for a visit?"

Sam realized that he was deflecting the attention from his son to give the young man a little time to let everything he'd been told and seen settle in. "Actually I asked him to come up," Sam interrupted. "I thought that we'd need a plan B if anything went wrong and figured I'd get started on that."

"Ah, plan B is always a good idea," Jack agreed.

"Yes, a very talented CO I had once taught me that," she agreed, enjoying when he smiled as he'd realized who her CO was. "One of the Goa'uld left an Al'kesh, a small attack vessel, under a pyramid in Egypt. Thor is beaming it from there to a tree line on the farm where Cam's family used to live. We think it will be fine there and out of the way. If Daniel and Cam need it then they have a way to get to the weapons platform in Antarctica." She glanced at his son. "Whether we decide to use the station's stasis pod or not, we can power the chair with the ZPM we brought back. This planet will not be a sitting duck for Ba'al if he shows up while we're gone."

"I like the way you think Carter." Jack turned partially to his son. Charlie gave him a slight nod. "We won't be using the stasis pod. Charlie has decided to help us on our little mission to save the universe."

"I won't let you down ma'am," the young O'Neill offered. Sam liked his forthright manner. He reminded her of his father. She could see his apprehension, but just barely. This was a lot to have thrust on him at once, but he was taking it extremely well.

"I know you won't Charlie and you can call me Sam. I'm not your commanding officer. As a matter of fact, I'm not anyone's commanding officer at the moment." She smiled ruefully. "I'd rather just get to know you as a friend of the family if that is alright with you."

Charlie nodded his acceptance. "Dad explained that I'm dead where you're from." Sam was surprised that he was taking this as well as he was. "He told me about how you might be able to save me. I thank you for that, but I'm not sure about any of that yet. I know I want to be a part of saving this world, but I've got to think everything else through if that's alright with you."

Sam was impressed. "Of course it is. I'm sure you have questions."

"That would be an understatement Ma'am, I mean Sam." He smiled at her with the same twinkle that his father had. Sam felt her heart melt. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"First thing," Jack interrupted stepping back into the conversation. "Why don't you and I go and get some of your things out of the house, pictures you want to keep maybe. Can you help us show Thor where the house is Sam? We won't be long."

"I do not need help in locating your house O'Neill, I have located you there many times," Thor informed him.

"He even was at one of your BBQ's for a little while until you scared him with the raging fire and burnt meat," Daniel pointed out.

"Thor can beam you down then we need to get the ZPM into the weapon's platform and get Daniel back to his apartment. They aren't watching him very closely at the moment, but they have picked up surveillance on Cam so I don't want to push Daniel's luck by keeping him here too long." Sam outlined their plans to get the ancient weapons platform up and ready and give Daniel and Cam all the tools they needed to get there in the event of an attack. This world didn't want their help, but it sure as hell needed it.

Barely half an hour later, Jack and Charlie were back with one bag each. They set the bags down against one wall. "You can use my room Charlie," Daniel offered. "I'm not going to need it any time soon it seems."

"Thank you Dr Jackson," the young man answered. "You're nothing like I thought you'd be. I mean I read your, I guess the other you's, book in college. Seemed pretty farfetched back then, but looks like you were right."

"You read my book?" Sam smiled at Daniel's obvious delight that Jack's son was actually interested enough in science to read his book.

"Yeah, a girl I was trying to spend some time with was really into aliens and loved your book." Daniel met Sam's eyes. His look said it all.

"Maryanne?" Jack questioned. At Charlie's nod, Jack smiled knowingly. "Not very bright, but he thought she was really hot," he told them, by way of explanation. Sam watched Daniel's face fall. Two O'Neill's double teaming him. Poor Daniel, it must just be something in the cosmic order that Jackson's and O'Neill's must pick on each other.

"And did you get the girl?" Daniel inquired good naturedly. He'd been on the winning side of the O'Neill, Jackson battle enough to be gracious when he wasn't.

"I did, thank you." Charlie blushed slightly, his dimple showing along with his smile.

"So we're off to the vast tracks of ice you are so fond of Carter," Jack said. "Didn't you mention that you need someone with that ATV gene to run the Ancient technology?"

"ATA gene, Jack," Daniel corrected. "Sam's given me a list of people that have it that should be on earth."

"John Sheppard would be my first choice," Sam offered. "He's got as much natural control over this type of technology as you do, Jack. He was my 2IC at Atlantis. He's a good man."

"Yes well that good man was piloting our plane," Jack pointed out. "You know, the one in the hold of this ship with the people that went poof."

"Opps," Daniel had a way with words some time.

"I can provide you with the coordinates of the island I sent them to," Thor offered coming over to the group. "We are over the Ancient outpost," he informed them. Sam thought for a few moments. She really wanted John handing the weapons if it came down to a fire fight.

"Can you give the island's location to me and beam me to the Al'kesh? I'll load in the coordinates while Daniel and Jack get the ZPM placed in the chair platform. I want to check a few things on the system and make sure it is all functioning properly anyway."

Thor busied himself behind his console for a few minutes. "I have sent them to your computer Samantha, will that be sufficient?" She made her way back to her station and glanced at her computer screen.

"Perfect Thor," She confirmed.

O'Neill watched the proceedings, waiting for everyone to get what they needed. "Daniel and I will take care of putting the batteries in the chair and meet you back here. Charlie, you're with Carter" Jack caught her eye before continuing on. She read the message loud and clear. No going off by yourself. Jack always believed in the buddy system when possible. "She's Sam on this ship, son, but she's Colonel Carter in the field."

"Yes, sir," Charlie acknowledged to his father. "I've got your back Ma'am."

Sam nodded. "Alright Lt. let's go get geared up, you never know what you'll run into." The smile on Lt. O'Neill's face was infectious. She remembered being that young on her first mission, except her first mission hadn't involved aliens, time lines, and over the top universe destroying bad guys


	25. Questions

Chapter 25

Sam and Charlie materialized inside the Al'kesh. Sam immediately went to the control console and began entering coordinates. She glanced back at her companion. "Have a seat Lieutenant," she instructed. "This won't take long." She watched him adjust the P-90 on his chest and settle into the seat next to her.

"You seem pretty comfortable with this ship Colonel, have you flown one before?" he was looking out of the front, watching animals graze just feet from the cloaked ship.

"On occasion, but usually it seemed like I was fixing the ships more than flying them." She shook her head a little at the accuracy of that statement. "Usually while bad guys were chasing us and someone was yelling at me to hurry up because things have gone terribly wrong."

"That someone doing the yelling was usually my Dad, wasn't it? I mean the version of him that you work with." He got the same look on his face that Jack did when he knew how something he'd just said probably sounded. She couldn't help smiling. "I'm sorry, ma'am," Charlie caught himself. "I don't mean to pry."

She had the coordinates just about entered. It didn't take much thought, just time to rewrite part of the program. She considered for a moment and chose to answer they young officer's question anyway. "I'm not in the field as much these days and the Goa'uld aren't a threat anymore, well they weren't until Ba'al. But most of the time we were fighting them your Dad was my CO, so yes it was usually him suggesting that I hurry." Sam paused to look at the young man next to her. His eyes were alive with interest as if he couldn't decide what to ask or even if he should ask it. She didn't know how much Jack had told his son, but even just the bare facts of what they were doing were a lot to take in.

Sam thought of her father when she'd told him about her job and how it might be able to save his life. He'd had a million questions and the confidence as a General to ask them. The young lieutenant had to be at a loss with what to do and what to ask. "Go ahead and ask what you need to Charlie," she suggested, taking a moment to give him her attention. "I can work and answer at the same time and I believe we have this situation under control for now." He smiled as he glanced out at the cattle moving slowly past the tree line they were hidden in.

"I do have questions ma'am, but I don't want to overstep."

"You won't," she assured him. Sam turned partially in her seat. "You took meeting Thor and me and being on a spaceship better than I could have imagined. You've got to have questions about the other time line, what might happen to you, aliens. I can only imagine. Ask what you want." She paused and turned the seat to fully face her companion.

"We are doing some dangerous things and we're probably going to run into some very dangerous situations." He was listening intently to her. "At those times I will expect that you will obey my orders as you would any other senior officer. I won't tolerate anything less."

"You are a full bird Colonel, ma'am and my dad trusts you. I've rarely heard him speak so highly of another officer. I wouldn't consider not obeying an order from you." He was so young and so earnest Sam's heart hurt for what he was facing in his future. She picked her words carefully. She wanted to put him at ease, but she didn't want to step on Jack's toes with his son.

"Then we understand each other," she approved. "Considering the decisions that you have to make and the situations you've been tossed into I think a little leeway is appropriate. You can drop the formality and feel free to talk to me Charlie. I know you don't know me, but I will help you in any way I can." She wasn't sure if he would take her up on her offer. She watched his face and body language relax slightly. She turned back to her work, giving him time to think.

"I don't think I'm quite ready to ask about the aliens yet," Charlie considered. "I do have questions about you and your time line and some of the things Dad explained. I don't think my dad would be comfortable with my questions and I don't want to hurt him. He said you would be a good person to talk to, but I'll understand if you don't want to answer about the other time line." Wow, Sam hadn't been prepared for quite how direct Charlie would be or the direction his curiosity had taken, but she should have been, she thought.

"It makes sense that you would have those kinds of questions." She hesitated. Did Jack fully explain that he might end up in a world where he was a stranger to his father? She decided to see where his questions went rather than offer information. "I'm finished here. Let's check on your dad and Daniel, and then we'll find a quiet place to talk. Go ahead and ask what you want to know. If I don't want to answer I'll tell you. Does that sound like a fair deal?" She was done programming in the coordinates to the Al'kesh, but figured that Jack and Daniel probably wouldn't be done with their assignment yet.

At Charlie's nod, she signaled Thor. "Has Colonel O'Neill radioed in yet?" she asked. When Thor replied that they had not she had him beam them directly to the hold. "How about we get out of this gear, find a snack and sit down and talk. Daniel is downloading the database from the outpost. I may need to use it to look for a few things to help us with our trip to Atlantis. That is going to take a while," she informed him. "We have a pretty good assortment of prepackaged food, feel free to rummage around and see what you can find.

After they put away their gear, Sam headed toward the section of supplies that contained the Jell-O. She was pretty happy with the variety of food they had this trip. Daniel's help had been invaluable. She made a mental note to have him help stock Thor's ship for any and all long trips. As she rounded the containers to check on Charlie she found him standing in front of the open trunk labeled O'Neill.

She stopped for a moment thinking how the man that packed that trunk would have felt knowing that a grown version of his Charlie would be going through it. When she noticed the perplexed look on Charlie's face as he turned Jack's Game Boy over she chuckled. The young man jumped as if caught. He turned around to face Sam, holding out the toy. "My dad would never bring this along on a mission," he declared.

"And you're wondering how much of a difference there is between your dad before and after the time line change?" It was a natural question. Charlie might end up in a world where the father he knew was gone and the man that played with that game was as close as he got. Sam thought about how to answer. She hadn't looked to see what was in the trunk. She hadn't been ready to do that, but now seemed as good a time as any. If this young man could face the trunk, she should be able to.

"Dad said you were his 2IC in the other time line for almost ten years. He said you two were involved in that time line too after he stopped being your CO. I guess you know him pretty well. How different is he?" Charlie moved over to allow room for Sam to stand beside him between rows.

"Did your dad explain that he is the same man, but with a different set of experiences stemming from the changes surrounding the sinking of the Stargate?" She needed a starting place or maybe she was just stalling, she wasn't sure.

"I majored in aeronautical engineering, but took enough theoretical physics to know what M Theory is. I understand the difference between a change in the time line and an alternate universe," he related. "Of course everything I've learned has been theory."

"Not anymore," Sam supplied. "So is that what you're wondering? You have to help me out here Charlie, I can think of a hundred things I'd be thinking about in your place." The young officer smiled at her statement. He put the Game Boy back in the crate and pulled out a picture of General O'Neill and Teal'c relaxing against a broken wall of some temple while Daniel was a few steps lower with brush in hand cleaning the same wall they sat on.

Sam stepped forward and studied the picture. "I took that on '439. Jack was giving Daniel such a hard time that I thought Teal'c would have to referee, but Daniel got even. He let Jack walk into a flower ceremony and offer to be the center piece for their final festival. Of course, none of us but Daniel realized what was happening until the elder women of the village had dressed the General in purple and pink flowers and bathed his hands and feet. Then each woman who had survived more than 50 winters kissed him on the lips to ensure the health of the village for the coming year." She was laughing as she finished.

"Oh God, my dad would have hated that. I guess he'd have put up with it because he taught me to always take losing at least as well as you took winning, but he'd have hated it."

"And filed it away for future payback," she agreed. They both laughed.

"So he's not all the different is what you are saying?" Sam rested a hand on the young man's arm and squeezed reassuringly.

"He's not that different," she confirmed. "Your Dad reminds both Daniel and I of how the Jack in that picture was when we first met him. Daniel theorizes that knowing and working with two scientists has mellowed him."

"I take it you haven't shared this theory with my dad." Sam was glad to see the smile on Charlie's face. He laughed out loud when Sam just smiled her agreement. "I am kind of hungry," Charlie decided. Sam turned to lead him toward her favorite place in the supply of food. She was relieved that the ice seemed to have been broken between her and Jack's son. As they ate she fielded all kind of questions about the differences in the worlds. They were just finishing eating when Thor announced that Daniel and Jack were ready to beam back to the ship.

***

Jack watched Daniel futz with the controls in the little icy chair chamber. "These people sure went to extremes of decorating," he pointed out. "I mean one chair room is decorated early Volcano and then we have Ice Age meets Futurama."

"Futurama?" Daniel questioned absently.

"Some show Charlie watched now and then. I didn't get the attraction, but the style seems to fit the décor." He was bored and fascinated all at once. Daniel had shown him how to place the ZPM and then went to work on the control panel. Every time Jack came near to sitting in the chair to see what it was all about, Daniel would grow a set of eyes in the back of his head and catch him. "Are we done yet?" he challenged once again.

"No Jack," Daniel patiently replied. The guy was fun to bait Jack decided. He was a little antsy being under so much ice, not to mention that he wanted to know how his son and Sam had faired. He'd explained everything as much as possible, but he was sure that Charlie had a lot more questions. His son tended to be protective of him. Jack knew the boy wouldn't ask him things he thought Jack wouldn't like so he'd pointed out that Sam would be a good person if he had questions. He was fairly sure Charlie would take him up on his suggestion.

"So why is it again that you have to get this all downloaded and if my son can download an entire CD in 10 minutes why is this taking..." Jack tapped his watch "nearly 40 minutes."

"Jack."

"Daniel."

Jackson sighed loud enough to be heard across the chamber. "So Jack, how's it going with you and Sam?" Oh, that was unfair. The doctor knew right where to hit. "Doing fine, not much time for anything but planning," he hedged. Thinking for a moment something occurred to him. "So it really took me 10 years to hook up with Sam?"

"Except for the occasional alien virus and erased memory, yes it did."

"You do that on purpose right?" The man couldn't just answer a question without riddles. Jackson didn't answer just smiled and turned back to his work. Jack watched him for a while. He thought about the conversation that they'd had about Charlie. "You know that thing you said about you being the closest thing I have for a best friend." Jack smiled inwardly. Daniel stopped what he was doing and turned around. "I'm not saying I agree, but I can see it might have been possible." When the younger man didn't say anything right away, Jack felt the need to fill the silence. "I'm just saying," he shrugged.

"Thank you Jack," Daniel said sincerely.

"So are you done yet?" Jack asked breaking the moment. Jackson seemed to expect it. The doctor barely flinched as he pushed a few more knobs and buttons and began turning lights off. He packed away the computer that Jack and Sam had brought with them from the plane. Charlie had brought a laptop with him, but they hadn't needed it. Jack smiled at the thought. He was sure his son would have given up his computer if needed, but he wasn't sure he'd have survived the loss of his music and movies. Jack smiled at the thought of the combination of boy and man he still saw in his son.

"We're finished," Daniel announced, before signaling to Thor to beam them back to the ship. As they materialized, Sam and Charlie were coming through the door. Daniel handed Sam the computer who placed it on the control panel next to her. "Any problems?" she questioned, looking between the two men.

"Piece of cake Carter," Jack answered. He was surprised at the startled expression that crossed her face, but she covered it quickly.

"No surprises on our end either," she confirmed. "Next stop Atlantis in the Pegasus galaxy."

"Then this would be my stop," Daniel sighed. "I hate to leave. Good luck everyone." Jack stepped forward and took the doctor's hand. This man had become a friend. He was going to miss him.

"Good luck Daniel, take care of yourself." Jack knew the man shaking his hand was capable of much more then he would have given him credit for when they'd first met, but the task facing them all was daunting. Mitchell would be there to help and hopefully Ba'al would never make it to Earth.

"I will, make sure you do the same Jack." The doctor turned to Charlie and offered the young man his hand as well. "It was good to meet you Charlie. Your dad is an amazing man in this timeline and ours. I've got some pictures in my top dresser drawer. You're welcome to look through them. Use whatever you need."

"Thank you Dr Jackson." Charlie released Daniel's hand and stepped back out of the way so that Sam could say goodbye. Jack knew he had no reason whatsoever to be jealous. He liked Daniel. He understood there was nothing more between the two than a deep, forged in fire kind of friendship, but it didn't matter. When Sam stepped into Daniel's arms and the Doctor buried his face in her hair, whispering something that made her giggle, he couldn't help but glower at Jackson's back.

Sam stood on the tips of her toes and peered over her friends shoulder without releasing the hug. Her eyes met Jack's. She smiled at him and winked. He realized in that moment that Daniel was holding the hug longer than necessary for his benefit. Well he couldn't intimidate him this time. That would be rude after the help the man had given him figuring out Sam and Charlie. He guessed he'd have to let Jackson have this one. After all he'd just spent forty minutes pestering him about the time the download was taking. When Sam stepped back, Daniel said his goodbyes to Thor and disappeared in a now familiar flash of light. Jack watched his son jump a little at the flash and then look around to see if anyone had noticed.

Jack was pretty sure Sam had seen it too, but they both pretended not to have noticed. The young man already felt like he had enough to prove. As they left orbit and headed out into space, Jack thought about the enormity of what they were undertaking. The preparations were made, his son was at his side, and the woman of his dreams was leading them on a crazy, impossible mission to save the universe. Jack clapped his hands together and then rubbed them back and forth before announcing "I want cake. Anybody else need cake?"

"You have cake?" Charlie asked turning to join his father.

"You guys coming?" Jack asked pausing to look at Thor and Sam. To his surprise they both nodded and headed down to the hold. He couldn't help looking over his shoulder once to glance at the little alien. Was he about to raid the store of Little Debbie's and Hostess cakes and pies with them? Jack shook his head. Yep, she was doing it to him now too. His life was getting just as strange as Sam's.


	26. Answers

Chapter 26

"Dad," Jack glanced at his son. "The little alien guy eats cake? Does he also watch movies and take bubble baths with rubber duckys?" he inquired. Jack wasn't sure, he'd never seen him do much more then listen to jazz music and hang around the bridge. He'd never even seen him leave the console much. "I'm not sure," Jack confessed. "I've never seen him leave the bridge. You should ask Sam, they seem to be friends."

"And that's not weirding you out at all? Dad, your girlfriend is BFF with a 3 foot ET."

"I'm more 'weirded' out by you calling Sam my girlfriend," Jack admitted.

"You said she was engaged to you in the other time line and I've never seen you pay this much attention to anyone but mom so ergo...girlfriend." His son was a smart ass, but this wasn't news.

"BFF, Ergo?" Jack questioned, making quote signs with his fingers. "Is this the education they are supplying these days at the Academy?"

"Don't change the subject, Dad." Yeah that never worked well for either of them. It was too much an O'Neill stall tactic to work on each other. "Are you trying to tell me that you don't want Sam to be your girlfriend? I mean come on Dad, she might have a weird set of friends, but she's hot, smart, funny, tall," Jack glanced at Charlie's face when he paused mid sentence. "She is really tall. I bet she has great legs," his son pushed.

"Charlie," Jack looked behind him quickly. He hadn't meant to be that loud. The woman in question caught his eye and smiled at him, but it was obvious she was deep in conversation with Thor and hadn't been paying attention. Well thank God for small favors. "Back off kid," he instructed, the laughter in his eyes taking the sting out of his harsh tone. "Ok, yeah I want her to be my girlfriend. If there was time I'd want a whole lot more, but our first priority is this mission, not my dating life."

Charlie just eyed him. "You really don't think you'll be alive at the end of all this do you?" Jack's heart broke at the pain and uncertainty in his son's voice. He wished again that he could promise him that all would be well and they'd all be alive at the end of the day. He stopped walking and reached for the young man beside him. Turning Charlie to face him, he was aware of Thor and Sam politely passing them by. Sam caught his eyes, silently questioning if he needed her. He didn't, but he appreciated the gesture and the fact that she could read him so well. Jack waited until they were out of earshot.

"Charlie, I really don't know what is going to happen, I don't think Carter knows either for sure, but it doesn't sound like there are too many chances this is going to end with me remembering any of this life." Jack watched his son flinch at the blow he'd just dealt him for the second time that day. Taking a deep breath and steeling himself against his own desire to comfort his boy with some sugar coated half truth, Jack continued.

"I wish I could say something different Charlie, but you're a man now, you're not a child. You are an Air Force officer and one that I am damn proud of. This is probably going to be one of the hardest things you have to do in your life, but I know that you can do it. Sam and I will help. Thor will be there too and even if you end up in the other time line, the one where I won't remember you, I will still love you and be proud of you. You'll just have to break me in again."

"This isn't a joke Dad." Charlie looked over his shoulder at the stars stretching out and passing by the windows along the corridor before. "We're in space on a mission, that if successful, will leave me without you. Hell, it will leave me without anyone I know." Jack didn't say anything. He could see his son trying to get a grip on the things he was feeling. "It feels like we just lost Mom and now you're asking me to lose you too. Sam's great, I think it's been too long since you had a woman you really cared about in your life Dad. I would love to see her end up my stepmom and you be happy again, but she and ET and some guy that looks like you, maybe is you, but doesn't know me are no substitute."

Charlie rocked on his heels and pushed his hands through his hair. He pulled himself up to his full height and stepped into Jack's space. "You're right Dad. I am an Air Force officer. I do understand the importance of what we are doing and I will do everything I can to help, but I'm also your son, so don't ask me not to try to find a way to save you too." Jack watched his son push past him and head down the corridor alone. He didn't try to stop him.

Now Jack was the one that needed to pull himself together. He was so damn proud of his son that it broke his heart. If someone like Sam, who had lived with all of this for years and understood the physics of alien technologies as well as she did, couldn't find a way to save him then he didn't for a moment believe that Charlie had a chance of changing his outcome. The fact that his son wasn't giving up, wasn't accepting the inevitable conclusion scared the hell out of Jack, but at the same time he couldn't have been more proud and humbled by the strength and character of the man he'd helped raise.

***

Sam glanced up when she saw Charlie walk into the hold by himself. She didn't think she should intrude on his thoughts so she opted to take refuge in food. Raised by Jack, she figured it was an approach Charlie would appreciate. "Hey Charlie, come help me find something for Thor to try." Thor blinked up at her, but didn't comment. "He has never tried any Earth food. This will be his first. Go for something not too sweet, but maybe with a little bit of a bite to it." Sam considered for a moment, "the Asgard food that I tried was bitter with a Styrofoam consistency."

Jack chose that moment to come around the corner. "Sounds appetizing he decided as he hoisted himself up on a crate to watch the search.

"And here is what I was looking for," she proclaimed holding a box of Hostess unfrosted lemon pies. She pulled one pie out of the box, ripped one half of the wrapper off and passed it to Thor. "It's yellow," she pointed out thinking he might feel more at ease with the pie being the color of the cube he'd suggested she try.

Thor hoisted himself up on the crate next to Jack and sniffed the pie. He took a very small bite and chewed. Sam leaned forward expectantly. At least he hadn't spit it out as she had when she'd tried his food. Sniffing at the filling one more time, he handed it back to her and coughed slightly. "I do not believe our food choices are compatible Samantha. I have my own food supply. I believe I will leave you three to your cake." The way Thor said 'cake' left no question of what he thought of the taste. Jack and Charlie looked at Sam, but she just shrugged as her little friend walked away.

"So that went well," Jack commented.

"I don't think he was insulted or anything," Charlie offered. Sam was touched. They were trying to make her feel better. They must have thought she'd be upset by the alien's rejection of her offerings. Pushing herself up on the crate, Sam took a bite of Thor's abandoned pie. "I didn't really expect him to like it, but since things have settled down for us all after the replicators were defeated, Thor has been very interested in learning more about our culture. I just figured it was time for pie."

"And you don't think you'll get alien cooties eating after him?" Charlie asked, shoving a whole HoHo in his mouth at once.

"Charles O'Neill," Jack reprimanded as crumbs slipped from his son's overstuffed mouth. Sam laughed when Charlie looked sheepish and swallowed way too much cake in one bite.

"Sorry, Ma'am" he apologized. She nodded her acceptance of his apology and shoved the last half of her pie in her mouth for good measure. Jack rolled his eyes and hopped off the crate to look for drinks. It suddenly occurred to Sam that she was having fun with the two of them and that she didn't feel the awkwardness she'd expected. She was coming to enjoy the younger O'Neill's sense of humor and appreciate his quiet intelligence. Jack and Sara had done an amazing job of raising him.

Half an hour later, they had all eaten something. Charlie had peppered Sam with questions ranging from what Atlantis was like to how she and Jack met. The young airman seemed fascinated by how at ease she was with Thor and how at home his Dad was beginning to be.

"Bed time campers," Jack declared as the yawns were becoming contagious. "You want to show us Daniel's cabin, Sam?" Sam almost dreaded trying to stand up, she hadn't realized how tired she was. When Jack reached for her, it was obvious his gesture was natural to him so she didn't protest. His hands on her waist as he helped her from her crate and settled her on her feet sent her heart racing. She and her version of Jack had always had to be careful around each other. On missions they avoided touching except for stolen occasions. This man didn't have any hesitation in touching her. He seemed to take every opportunity to. Sam thought she could get used to the attention. His hand on the small of her back felt comforting as they walked along the corridor.

"Good night Charlie," Sam watched Jack and his son hug and the young man disappear inside Daniel's quarters. She suddenly wasn't sure what to do with herself. Did she say good night to Jack and just leave him standing there? His quarters were right next to hers, about 50 feet from Charlie's door, and only about 20 feet apart.

Jack took Sam's hand, ending the awkward moment. Holding her hand in his, he led her to the door of her cabin. "Your humble abode madam," he smiled, releasing her and stepping back. He was making it clear he wasn't going to push.

"I like Charlie, Jack. He is quite an amazing young man. You and Sara did a wonderful job with him." Jack just smiled at her. He didn't say anything right at first. She could tell that he was lost in his own thoughts. "He's pretty upset about losing me," Jack confided.

Sam's heart broke. She didn't want to give him false hope after she'd helped him sort through the possible outcomes of their mission. Sam racked her brain to try to think of something to say to comfort him. She couldn't think of anything. The truth was that there really wasn't anything comforting in the situation they found themselves in.

Opting to distract him instead, Sam stepped closer to Jack. There was barely any space between his chest and hers when she laid her open palms against his shoulder and stood up on her toes to gently press her lips to his. She could feel his surprise as her eyes slid shut and she brushed her tongue across his lips, asking him to allow her to deepen the kiss.

Jack's arms came up around her. He slanted his head and opened his mouth, sliding his tongue along hers. A tiny moan slipped out as she felt one of his hands slip to her waist and under her belt at the small of her back. She felt him smile against her at her reaction to his touch on her bare skin. Smug bastard, she thought with a laugh, as she lightly nipped at his bottom lip and pulled her tongue back just barely out of reach of his. Her teasing had the desired effect and it was his turn to moan low in his throat.

Jack liked to be in charge, and usually by now he'd have slid his hands into her hair and held her steady while he captured her tongue again and deepened the kiss like he wanted to, but the man holding her now was unsure of her. He was trying to restrain himself and give her time to decide what she wanted and how she felt.

Sam smiled inwardly at the control he was showing. She kept her kisses light and teasing, allowing him to deepen the kiss only so much before she pulled partially back and nipped at his lips or kissed the corner of his mouth. The groan that rumbled through his chest when she kissed her way to his ear and ran the tip of her tongue around the outside edge had her feeling in control and it was turning her on.

Jack O'Neill simply didn't have this kind of restraint when it came to kissing her. This must be killing him she decided, feeling heady with arousal and feminine power. She nipped at the sensitive area of his neck below his ear at the same time she flicked his right nipple with her finger. The material of his t-shirt made it easy to flick her fingernail back and forth over the little nub. She felt her own nipples tighten painfully in response to his moan.

Sam knew she was pushing all his buttons. She wanted him to let loose with her. She'd felt him holding back when they'd been in bed together. She'd understood when he'd stopped things between them, but she hadn't liked it. She didn't want him holding back now. Nipping at his skin one more time, she blew in his ear at the same time she pinched the nipple she'd been playing with and moaned. His response was just what she was hoping for.

Jack groaned deep in his chest, reached for her and lifted her so that she was forced to wrap her legs around his waist to hold on. The heightened sensitivity Jack was causing to race through her made her cry out as her sensitive core came to rest against his straining erection. He answered her cry by slamming her back against the wall. Trapping her between the wall and his chest, Jack released his hold on her ass and slid his hands up her sides. She moaned against his lips and pushed her chest toward him when the sides of his hands brushed her nipples. His hands didn't stay long on her nipples before they slid into her hair and cupped her face.

Sam found her head held steady by Jack's long fingers as he swept his tongue into her mouth and took back control. She felt like she was going to catch fire from his kisses alone. Desire pooled low in her groin forcing her to grind the center of her passion against Jack's erection, fighting for some release from the ache centered between her legs. She tightened her thigh muscles and circled her heated core against Jack's answering hardness. Sam growled in frustration at the clothes separating them. She could hear a matching growl coming from Jack at the exact same time.

"Hall," they both groaned at once, each suddenly becoming aware of where they were and that Charlie could come out of his door and catch them at any moment. Still breathing hard, Sam and Jack broke apart slightly and smiled sheepishly at each other.

Jack let his head fall against her forehead. He was fighting for breath just like she was, but he didn't release her. "I suppose I should put you down and let you get some sleep." He didn't sound enthusiastic, more resigned and a little pouty.

"Or you could move us into my room," Sam suggested. Jack's eyes shot wide and he leaned back to see her, but still he didn't release her or allow her feet to touch the floor. Maybe he was scared she would change her mind, Sam thought unsure of his hesitation. She couldn't forget how close they'd come before he'd stopped them and left to go to his own room.

"You don't have to ask twice," Jack surprised her by saying. He reached down to hold her against him and walked easily the extra couple feet to her door. Sam chuckled when he leaned slightly sideways to let her open the door, but still didn't let her down.

"You know Jack, I'm not going anywhere. You don't need to carry me and hurt your knees," she offered.

"My knees will be just fine," he informed her. "However, another part of my anatomy is enjoying you right where you are." They'd made it in the door. Jack stopped to capture her mouth with his one more time. His urgency had abated somewhat so he was able to take his time and as his tongue swept into her mouth. His gentle exploration after the heat they'd been generating in the hall teased her.

Sam felt her body liquefy and pool between her legs. Jack's arousal being pressed so tightly and intimately right where she ached was driving her crazy. At the angle that he was holding her she could barely move, but he could. He was paying her back in spades for her teasing in the hall. "God Jack, the bed," she indicated with her head. She wasn't surprised her voice came out breathy and low. The things he was doing to her neck with his tongue and teeth were making it hard to breath, let alone talk.

Jack chuckled before lifting his head and meeting her eyes. "Right away Ma'am."

"If you salute me I'm going to hurt you O'Neill," she could see the mischief interlaid with the arousal in his face.

"I've been saluting you half the night Carter," he informed her, thrusting up against her to emphasize his point. He didn't say anything more as he came down on the bed with one bent knee and gently laid her back against the pillows. Following her down to sit beside her, Jack hooked his hands under her shirt and slid the t-shirt up and over her arms until she was free of it. She reached for him but he caught her wrists and held them in one hand. Stroking her cheek softly with the other he stared into her eyes. "Let an old flyboy have his fantasy here Sam," he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. "The most beautiful, intelligent woman I have ever met wants me to undress her. I'm savoring the moment."

"No, you're torturing me, but as long as that is the last time I hear you refer to yourself as old, have at it flyboy," she grudgingly agreed, clamping down on her impatience and letting her hands fall back to her sides as Jack released her.

"Yes, well there would be that too," he agreed, a wicked gleam in his eye. "But as an Air Force colonel with your record, I'm assuming you are adept at resisting torture." Jack's hand was on her stomach, sliding along the edge of her pants. She found her hips rising almost of their own will to follow the course of his touch. She wanted to reach down and take her own pants off. He was slowly unbuttoning her BDU pants, one button at a time, kissing each inch of exposed flesh. He was so close to where she needed his touch that her hands twitched on the sheets before she tangled her fingers in the bed coverings to prevent her from reaching to hurry him along.

"Twitchy today, Samantha?" he questioned, sliding her slacks the rest of the way down her legs and pausing at her feet to undo her boots that she'd forgotten were still on her feet. "Just a little longer, beautiful, you can hold on for me," he informed her as he dropped his head to nip at the bare arch he'd uncovered when he'd removed her boots and tossed them casually over his shoulder. Sensation raced over her skin. When had that become one of her sweet spots? "Holy Hannah" she breathed as she watched him slowly crawl up her legs, kissing and nipping sweet spots along the way. Her body was on fire for him to reach his target.

By the time he'd parted her legs with his forearms and settled his shoulders between her thighs she was panting with need. When she felt Jack's warm breath on her skin nestled beneath soft blond curls she gasped and reached for him. He glanced up at her with a raised eyebrow and she dropped her hand back to the bed with more force then she meant to.

"Jack," she admonished. He was trying to kill her.

"Easy sweetheart," he soothed as he parted her with his thumbs and dropped to run his tongue around the edges of her lips. "I need to taste you." He nipped her inner flesh sharply and Sam saw stars. He was driving her mad kissing, licking, and nipping every part of her nether lips except the spot she needed him most. When he slid a long callused finger into her wetness and hooked it up to stroke her G-spot, Sam moaned loudly and arched her hips off of the bed. Jack smiled against her and chose that moment to close his lips over the bundle of nerves begging for his attention, pulling at her with his teeth and flicking her with the tip of his tongue.

"Jack," she screamed as her release hit her full force. Sam felt as if she'd flown apart. Her body trembled and sensation still radiating from where Jack was soothingly licking her and stroking her inside, until he sensed her returning to herself. Still feeling the aftershocks of her powerful orgasm, Sam reached for him and he came into her arms, settling himself against the entrance of her body.

Jack didn't immediately enter her, but leaned over her to capture her mouth with his. He deepened the kiss, exploring every inch of her mouth. Sam could taste herself on his lip as she felt her arousal climbing again. Sam wasn't good at passive. Obeying his request to lay back and allow him full rein had been hard and exciting at the same time, but now she wanted Jack screaming as he emptied himself in her body.

Sam tangled her fingers in Jack's short silver hair and took charge of the kiss. She pulled his tongue further into her mouth and released it again and again, rhythmically sucking him as she arched her hips up in an attempt to impale herself on his hard pulsing body. He pulled back, only allowing his broad head to pierce her entrance, but she could feel the tremors in his shoulders from the effort. His control was slipping.

When Sam wrapped her legs around his waist to pull him into her body, Jack moved his hands to her hips and released his mouth. "Not yet," his eyes were intensely black. "I want us to fly together Samantha. Can you hold on that long for me baby?" God, he was sexy and his words raced right through her. "Will you trust me to get us there?" he asked, moving the hand that was holding her hips still until he could use his thumb to press into her wet folds and stroke her.

Sam didn't think she was capable of speech in that moment. She released her hold on his hips. "I trust you Jack," she managed. His eyes narrowed a moment, but then he slid a little farther down her body and took the crest of her breast into his mouth, capturing her nipple and biting. She moaned and arched her back at the same time she pulled his head closer to her. He was doing something amazing with his tongue and teeth that had her squirming and her excitement gushing out of her as he pressed his hips forward and seated himself in her as far as flesh would allow.

She could already feel her body climbing toward her release as he set their rhythm. She'd been in Atlantis a long time and then Jack had been in Washington until right before they'd left for the Tokra planet. Sam hadn't had sex in quite a while. The slight pain as her body adjusted to his size and the driving pace he set them tore a moan from her. Jack had switched to her other breast and was giving that nipple equal treatment, before he groaned himself and raised up to face her, his pace still measured. She could see the effort his control was costing him. His arms were trembling and his thrusts were punctuated by moans torn from him.

She hadn't realized that she'd shut her eyes until he was calling her back to him. "Open your eyes for me Sam," he instructed her, never breaking his relentless drive into her body. He was pushing her so high, she felt ready to fly. Obeying him, she opened her eyes to meet his. They were so intense they sent a shiver down her spine. "Who am I Sam?" he demanded. There was no malice in his question, no bitterness or anger, just a demand. She didn't want to answer. For all of her words to the contrary she hadn't settled that question fully in her mind. She hadn't been aware of that until this moment, but somehow he had been.

"Answer me Sam," he instructed, biting into her shoulder muscle in his effort to keep his own control. She moaned again. His teeth on her flesh as he fought for control pushed her closer to her crest. Her hips were strong and she pushed them forward in spite of his hand holding her steady. She needed him to move faster, harder. He'd promised her they'd fly together. She felt the hand holding her tighten in warning, but she ignored him and pushed up against him once again, grinding her pubic bone against him, seeking her release.

Sam gasped and cried out when he closed his teeth tighter on her shoulder. He moved his hand from her hip and slapped her ass in reprimand as he settled his weight more fully on her, halting their movement altogether. She got the message. She wasn't moving until he allowed it and his actions were making her even hotter. Her body screamed for release and in some corner of her mind she knew it was a fair question. He'd not demanded anything of her after their talk but the truth. If he could face it she could too.

"You're O'Neill," she breathed, still squirming under him slightly, unable to stop fighting against his hold on her completely. "You're Jack O'Neill and I love you with or without you remembering why." Sam would have screamed her pleasure as he pulled back and slammed his length into her in one powerful stroke, but he'd taken her mouth at the same time, overwhelming her senses. One more thrust of his powerful hips and she broke apart into a million pieces. She was dimly aware of his scream matching her own as he came apart with her and he emptied his seed into her womb.


	27. Note to Self

Chapter 27

Jack opened his eyes slowly. He stretched, careful not to wake the beautiful blond sprawled across him asleep. He smiled, enjoying the feel of her legs entwined with his and the feel of her naked body pressed against his. The object of his consideration sighed as she too began the climb out of sleep.

"Hey," Sam smiled sleepily and curled further into him. He chuckled and rubbed lazy circles on her back where the sheet had fallen away.

"How are you this morning?" he questioned placing a kiss in her hair. He could feel her lips curl into a smile against his bare chest. She was playing with his chest hair. He couldn't see her face and her body was still relaxed. He couldn't decide if she was contemplating a repeat of last night or just relaxing. He'd fallen asleep feeling amazing about what had happened between them, but in the light of day he was beginning to wonder if he had pushed her too hard.

"You have a kinky side Jack." Ok, that wasn't what he was expecting her to say. He wasn't sure how to answer that. "I never knew. I mean we hadn't been together all that long and with our schedules and me being in another Galaxy a good portion of the time..."

"You mean we never went there?" he interrupted, surprised. "I told you all the terrible, dark secrets in my past, but I didn't want you to know I like to be in control?" He was confused. One of the things he liked best about Sam was that he didn't have to hold back with her, not in bed or out of it. She was a perfect match for him as far as he could tell.

"Oh no, I've known you too long not to know you like to be in control, but..." she started, and then seemed to hesitate as if she were at a loss of how to explain it. He could see her color rising along her shoulders and neck. Sam Carter could be shy about some things. Imagine that, he thought, liking this side of the self assured officer and woman he was coming to know.

Jack looped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her more firmly against him before rolling her under him. He balanced his weight on his arms and adjusted himself so that he lay between her legs. It took a little shuffling of limbs but she allowed him to put her where he wanted her. "Comfortable?" she asked amusement evident in her voice.

He wiggled his hips pressing against her just long enough for her pupils to dilate and a soft groan to make it past her lips. "Now I am," he confirmed. "So what you are trying to say here is that you knew I liked to be in control, but I'd never asserted my superior strength or tactical training to ensure that outcome?" She laughed out loud at that. Good, he liked her happy. He wasn't sure how long he'd remember seeing her like this or even remember being him. He wasn't in a hurry to end their morning.

"No, O'Neill, I mean you never ordered me around in bed or smacked my ass when I didn't listen," she finished bluntly, her face a becoming shade of red.

"Really? Did I ever get a little rough with you?" He was genuinely curious now.

"A little, but you seemed upset later and would keep asking me if I was ok."

"What a shame. Wonder why I held back?" Jack considered. With no warning he reached for her hands and pulled them above her head. He felt his body jump at her intake of breath. She didn't try to hide that she was getting turned on, but still she seemed unsure. Sliding his fingers in between the fingers of both of her hands at the same time, he was able to support his weight on that hand without hurting her, but also use his position as leverage.

The arrangement made it very easy for him to hold her two hands in his one, with little possibility she could free herself without a considerable fight. He was sure that she'd had enough combat experience to mean he'd be in a fight for his life if he were actually trying to hurt her or if she wasn't right where she wanted to be, but she was intrigued and they both knew it. Sam squirmed a little, tugging on her hands lightly. He allowed her to test his hold on her. As she struggled against his hold he kissed her neck without commenting.

She settled fairly quickly, but now she was unconsciously shifting her pelvis against him restlessly. "Going somewhere Carter?" he asked from beside her ear. His breath made the skin on her neck erupt into gooseflesh.

"Apparently I'm not," her voice was breathy and low as she wiggled beneath him again and tugged at her hands.

"You're right Sam, you're not going anywhere," he whispered pulling back and meeting her eyes. "You're not going to struggle and you're going to do exactly as I say without question?" he asked, almost holding his breath, wondering how much she wanted to play.

***

"And what makes you think I am going to do that?" Her voice left no doubt that she was turned on she was sure. This was a side of Jack she'd never seen. He'd always been fun in bed and an amazing lover, but he'd never showed her a kinky side. She wondered if he would have as they'd gotten to spend more time together.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Sam concentrated on the man holding her pinned to the bed. Two could play these games. She arched her back up against him, scraping her hardened nipples across his chest as she craned her neck and caught his lips. She was just in time to catch the moan that her actions tore from him. She could feel her body coming fully awake as he took control of their kiss. Sam was thankful for her over active brain at that moment. She had to fight not to lose herself completely and to keep her objective in mind.

Jack was making her body turn liquid. His kiss consumed her and his free hand had slipped down her waist, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. She needed to move her hips, to relieve the pressure building between her legs and she knew Jack was well aware of the need he was creating in her. She could use that.

Sam could feel his fervor rising as well. She knew him well enough to know that he'd leave her mouth soon. She undulated her hip against him again, barely able to control her need to impale herself on him and find her completion. She couldn't afford to give in to that desire if she was going to achieve her objective. She used the urgent drive of her body and Jack's expectations against him. He eased his body off of her slightly to allow her to rub herself more fully against him. She took the space she was given and reveled in the feel of his hard body between her legs as she arched up against him.

The friction and pressure made her cry out in pleasure and nearly forget what she was working towards, but some small piece of her brain still functioned well enough for her to use that movement to camouflage the positioning of her right leg perfectly. As Jack fought for his own control when the wetness and heat of her body surrounded his throbbing erection he lifted up to release her mouth.

She knew him well enough to know that he loved her breasts. She'd known that he'd be going for her nipple any second. Sam would have smiled if she hadn't been fighting for control of her senses. He did exactly what she expected and when he did he shifted the pressure of his hand that was holding hers to the bed. In that split second she used her newly positioned leg to give herself leverage and used her top hand to release the pressure on her bottom fingers. Before he had the chance to counter she arched her body, hooked her knee in his, and flipped them both. It wasn't pretty, but it worked.

Sam didn't allow herself time to gloat at the shocked look on his face at finding her straddling him. She smiled triumphantly, arched her hips up and impaled herself on his body. Reveling in the slide of his broad head and thick length into her heated body, the success of her mission fueled her arousal. Sam cried out in pleasure as Jack's length was seated fully in her. The pressure of him imbedded behind her cervix was almost pain, which added to the intense pleasure thrumming through her body and threatened to send her over the edge.

She was so lost in the feeling that she was almost shocked when his hands tangled in her hair and he brought her face down to his at the same time that he thrust up into her hard, driving himself further into her then she thought possible. Sam cried out again as the intense sensations multiplied and washed over her. "Good move," he ground out before molding his lips to her in a searing kiss. She'd thought she'd take back control, but she'd forgotten how quick to adapt Jack could be.

One hand held her head still for his lips and tongue while the other slid down across her stomach. She jerked hard when he inserted a thumb between their thrusting bodies and pressed hard against the bundle of nerves that were already on fire. "Too much," she moaned at the intensity of the waves crashing through her body. She pressed against his chest, trying to use her arms to push away from his body and ease his touch.

"Not enough," he growled back, reaching for her hips with the other hand and pulling her against him, refusing to allow her to pull back. He continued to work her as he thrust into her again and again. The sensations were so intense that she felt as if she were hanging at the edge of a cliff. She wanted to let go and soar, but the waves that crashed over her were too intense. They held her in exquisite torture, small powerful waves rolling over her, but not allowing her release to fully crest. She'd never felt anything like it.

"God Jack, please," she begged before she was aware of her intent. She couldn't believe the pleading tone of her own voice, but Jack heard her. He immediately changed the pressure of his thumb to a steady rhythm and her body arced toward climax so quickly she was unprepared and instinctually fought for control. Sam looked down at Jack and suddenly noticed the perspiration on his forehead and chest. He'd been fighting his own body's need for release. He'd been waiting for her to beg. He'd known exactly how hard he was pushing her body, so much for taking back control.

"Let go Samantha," he instructed, his voice rough with his effort to control his own release. "Let me watch you fly apart in my arms," his words, punctuated by one more powerful thrust that imbedded him so deeply she felt he would split her in two, pushed her soaring into oblivion. In the split second of coherent thought she had before her climax crested, she reached for the man thrusting powerfully into her body and used her nails to pinch and twist his nipples. "Come with me," she barely managed as she screamed her release and collapsed across his chest. She was only just aware of his answering shout at her words, as he emptied himself into her still contracting body.

Sam lay against Jack's chest, exhausted and exhilarated all at the same time. In her time, when she and Jack had started to see each other they'd had to fight within themselves to stop being 'Sir' and 'Carter'. Maybe they'd been so busy figuring out how to see each other as man and woman rather than the colleagues and team mates they'd been for so many years that there hadn't been time to completely relax with each other.

Maybe it was just that they respected each other so much and cared what the other thought that they were both too scared to let all the barriers down yet, but Sam was sure of one thing. If she somehow survived this with her memories of these events in tact she was so going to push Jack O'Neill until he let lose in bed and showed her all the sides of him. "Wow," she muttered, and was rewarded by the chuckle she felt rumble through the chest she was currently using as a pillow. "Intense."

"Amazing and then some," Jack agreed, tightening his hands around her and dropping a kiss in her hair. "As much as I'd love to stay in this bed the rest of the day," he began, "I guess we better get moving." He was right, but Sam didn't want to let go. She hadn't been lying to him the night before when she'd confessed loving him. She did. She loved Jack O'Neill and this was him and there wasn't any part of her that was any good at resisting him.

"What is going on in that head of yours Carter?" Jack pulled her up so that he could see her face. "I am starting to recognize that look and it usually means that there is a storm brewing in that brilliant brain of yours."

"Scared of getting caught in the rain?" she teased.

"Getting wet with you, scare me, never," he waggled his eyebrows at her for good measure. She couldn't help but laugh at him. "But getting hit by lightening is another story," he concluded. He rushed on before she had a chance to speak. "Look if you're mad about last night, about me pushing you to tell me that you loved me like that," he scrubbed a hand over his face. "We can just forget you said that."

"You suck at apologies O'Neill." He really did and always had. "I am in love with you. I don't have all the answers and I'm tired of trying to find them. You are the man I love. I hate that you can't remember the feeling or me in that way, but I can't fight my heart and I don't have the energy to try anymore." There it was on the table in the light of day, for both of them.

He studied her face for a moment as if he were memorizing her. He brushed away a hair that hung across her cheek. "You're right, I can't remember being in love with you, but I've fallen all on my own Samantha Carter." He kissed her lips lightly and brushed his thumb over them softly, before taking her chin in his hand. "I just have one request, Sam." She nodded, too choked with emotion to trust her voice. "Thor's ship is going to remain unchanged right?"

She blinked at the change of topic, but her mind always clicked along on some scientific level so the jump didn't faze her for long. "Yes, but we've already discussed the fact that neither you nor I can be on this ship when the timeline is restored. That would create two identical versions of us trying to occupy the same space at the same time. We all, including ourselves before the time line change, would probably all die." Was he trying to find a way to survive the timeline shift? She wished it were that easy, but she thought he understood all the reasons why that wasn't a viable option.

"Ok, so you can help me make a recording to my other self right?" He looked really hopeful.

"I suppose. I mean, it is possible if it is important." She was confused.

"Hell yeah, it's important. I need to tell myself to take you down off that pedestal I seem to have you on and make love to you properly, because you are one kinky sweet little number!" He was already prepared when she playfully slugged him, but he didn't block her blow, just allowed his shoulder to absorb it with a hurt puppy look on his face. "What? I'm just saying!"

"I actually might let you make that recording O'Neill," Sam laughed as she rolled out of bed. She was half way to the shower when she looked over her shoulder. "So you think that's why you are so careful with me in bed? You have me on a pedestal?" She wasn't sure she could wrap her head around Jack O'Neill having her on a pedestal.

"I saw that recording remember?" He sat up in bed, but made no move to get out of it. The white sheets against his tan chest made her want to crawl back in with him. "Oh yeah Sam, I have to have you on a pedestal. At least that is the only reason I could think of for me holding back in bed and it's a shame because that little flip maneuver you pulled was smoking hot." She didn't comment. She just chuckled at his teasing. She wouldn't admit that she'd been sort of proud of herself too. It hadn't worked out as the triumphant power coup she'd planned, but the surprised look on his face was certainly worth it.

By the time Sam got out of the shower, Jack had gone back to his quarters to change. She assumed he was going to stop by his son's room so she headed to the bridge figuring that she'd give them some time alone. She was surprised to see Charlie deep in conversation with Thor. He straightened up almost guiltily when she arrived. She dismissed the idea. Charlie had no reason to feel guilty about anything.

"Morning Sam," he smiled. Sam smiled her greeting at him.

"We will be arriving in orbit above Atlantis in two hours time." Thor remarked. "I have tested Charlie's DNA. He carries the Ancient gene in very much the same strength as his father." That didn't surprise Sam. He seemed to take after his father in looks and temperament, so why not the gene as well. She'd explained to both Charlie and Jack what the gene meant.

"That's cool," Charlie enthused. "So I can operate all the Ancient ships and weapons?

"Not unless you are asked to," Sam didn't mean her voice to come out quite so harshly, but she could think of a hundred ways touching the wrong thing could lead to the young man's death.

"Yes, ma'am," Charlie responded. He'd taken it as the order it was, not a request. Jack picked that moment to walk through the door. "Good morning campers," he yawned and stretched. "So what is on the agenda for today?" he asked.

"We're two hours out," Sam told him. "We should go over the plan again." She, Jack and Thor had brainstormed a plan, but she thought they would be wise to go over it again. She was well aware of the fact that as amazing a soldier as Jack was, he was completely new to the technology and situations that could arise under these types of circumstances.

Sam reminded them of the fact that the city was submerged. She'd had to rely on her own memory of how long it took the force field to collapse and flood the city the first time. She had read Weir's logs, but that had been two years ago. She hoped she was right. "Thor will be here to pull us out if we need it, but if that happens and the city floods before we can get the equipment we need and get out of there then..."

"We'll be sunk," Jack finished for her. He sort of shrugged his shoulders in the way he had when one of his jokes fell flatter than he expected. "We get it Carter. We get in the city, you program the computer to raise the city, we get the DeLorean Detector, get down to the lower Jumper bay, get the one with the time machine and I fly it on back here, piece of cake." She didn't bother to correct him. She knew he understood that things would not be that easy.

"What about me?" Charlie asked. "I know I'm not experienced, but I'm trained. I can help."

"You can," Jack agreed. "You can follow orders Lieutenant. You will be here on the ship helping Thor monitor us." Sam watched the interplay. She thought for a moment that Charlie would question his father. The tense silence between them stretched out. "Yes sir," the standoff was sort lived and the outcome expected, but Sam was glad.

"Colonels" Thor called from the other side of the room. "I am detecting a ship in orbit above Atlantis."

Sam was at his side immediately. "Is that what I think it is?" This made things so much more complicated.

"If you think it is a Replicator ship then you are correct." Sam groaned. She felt her shoulders sag under the weight of the newest development.

"What's going on Sam?" Jack was at her side. Charlie was on the other side of Thor. "What are Replicators and how does this change the mission?" Sam didn't know how to reply.

"I am detecting several human form replicators aboard the ship. They do not appear to be as advanced as the last replicators that we encountered in our own timeline. I would estimate that they have just begun the manufacture of human form replicators."

Sam took in the information Thor was giving her. Jack's face was full of questions. "Replicators nearly destroyed our galaxy. They nearly wiped out the Asgard. They are attracted by technology. They devour it and literally become what they eat."

"Sweet," Jack said into the silence. Sam and Thor exchanged a look. "Time for plan B, I'm guessing?"


	28. A Bug's Life

Chapter 28

Jack didn't like how much this new enemy was visibly affecting Sam and Thor as they both studied the readings at the commander's console. These two took every weird twist and turn so well that when they didn't his alarm bells started going off. "Ok, so we have mechanical bugs," he processed their statement. "You said you defeated them before."

"We used an energy based weapon that you built when you had the knowledge of the Ancients downloaded into your brain, O'Neill," Thor's calm voice informed him. Sam looked like she was deep in thought.

"Dad built an energy based weapon to defeat mechanical bugs?" Charlie was looking at him like he'd grown a second head.

"Long story," Jack turned back to Sam. Sam's story about him having all the knowledge downloaded into his brain was not a tale he wanted to share at that moment. "Ok, so this weapon that I built, which I have to agree with Charlie is a little weird to think about; do we have this bug zapper on board?"

"Thor could probably build one," she glanced at the Asgard for conformation, but didn't pause when he nodded his agreement. "That isn't the problem. We are scanning Atlantis. There is significant damage to the city. The good news is that somehow the replicators have managed to raise Atlantis to the surface. We won't have to worry about drowning. The bad news is until we go down there we have no way of knowing what they've destroyed and if anything we need is even still functional."

"Ok, so we go look," Jack steeled himself. "Thor, buddy, think you could hook us up with a few bug zappers?"

"There's no time," Sam pointed out. He didn't like the sound of that. "We need to get down there now. They could have destroyed either of the devices that we are looking for already. These versions of the replicators seem to be much more like the ones that we first encountered, before the Asgard locked them in the time dilation field. I don't believe they will be that much of a problem logistically."

"While you are on Atlantis, I will attempt to synthesize a weapon and charge it, should we have need of it. My ship was built after the defeat of the Replicators. The specifications of the weapon are still in my database, but no longer a part of my weapons array," Thor informed them.

"Can we kill these things with what we have here?" He was assuming she wouldn't be suggesting they go down there without a way to defend themselves.

"The bugs can be killed with our standard weapons. They become a problem in the sheer numbers they are going to throw at us if they decide we're a threat." Sam looked thoughtful before continuing. "The human forms of them are a bit harder to kill after they have adapted to us, but these replicators have never seen our weapons so we should make a dent long enough to get what we need and get out of there, hopefully."

Jack sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He didn't like what he was thinking. He raised his eyes to meet Sam's. He could see she was thinking the same thing too, but she was leaving the decision in his hands. Straightening his back, he turning to his son, "We're going to need you down there Lieutenant. Do you think you can handle that?"

"Yes, sir," Charlie said, snapping to attention. But Jack could see in his body language that his son was nervous, maybe even a little scared. He didn't blame him. Jack's heart was thudding in his chest harder then he'd ever felt it. He was taking his son into combat, something he'd told himself that he'd never have to face. The boy was eager and he'd excelled at his training. He was a good soldier and it wasn't as if Jack hadn't taken freshly minted officers into the field before, but he'd never expected it to be his own son.

Sam must have been able to read his discomfort because she stepped forward and started to explain about the bugs. Jack was grateful for the distraction. He had to limit her explanations a couple of times, but he felt like he and Charlie had a good grasp on what the bugs were capable of and how they reacted to the human threat.

Jack listened carefully as Sam showed them a schematic of Atlantis and where their objectives should be found. "The ship with the time device on it is here," she was pointing to an area fairly far removed from their first objective, the DeLorean Detector. Over the course of the next hour he felt like he'd stepped into the looking glass right along with Alice.

He asked enough questions to feel like he was as prepared to meet the bugs as it was possible to be. "Do you have any questions Charlie?" Sam was asking. His son had been mostly quiet during the briefing. He'd asked one or two questions, but they'd all slid into what comfort their military roles allowed them, and as such a junior officer his duty was mainly to follow orders.

"Is there any way I can see a picture of what these things are going to look like?" Charlie finally asked.

"This is a holographic projection of the basic replicators that you are mostly likely to encounter," Thor offered from his seat. A clunky metallic version of a bug materialized on a platform near the display of Atlantis's schematic. Jack approached, walking around the little mechanical beast. When he reached a hand out toward it, the thing leapt sideways with a mechanical hiss and coiled back as if to strike. "Whoa," he couldn't help but jump back as reflexes overrode his knowledge that the hologram was unable to hurt him.

"Wow," Charlie had come up at his shoulder to look the thing over from a comfortable distance. "There are going to be hundreds of those things?" Jack was thinking the same thing. He wasn't surprised to feel Sam's presence on his other side. She didn't respond for a moment before stepping more fully into his line of sight and catching his attention.

"You once told me that saving the world never gets old," she smiled.

"I said that?" He could only imagine what their life must have been like, but looking at those magnificent blue eyes shining with all the confidence in the world in him, Jack couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

"Once or twice," she confirmed. "You ready to save the universe?" The laughter in her eyes made him want to pull her into his arms, but there was a universe to save and his son's all too knowing eyes right behind him.

"Alright then Campers. This ought to be fun, I've never saved the universe before," Jack thought for a moment and then amended. "At least not that I can remember," Sam opened her mouth, but Jack held a finger up. "Ahhh, I am enjoying the moment here, Carter. I don't want to know." She smiled at him indulgently, before nodding and leading the way to the part of the hold they'd dubbed the armory. Jack slapped his son on the shoulder reassuringly and stepped back to allow the young man to precede him.

***

Sam did a quick sweep of the hall as she, Jack and Charlie materialized. The once graceful walls of Atlantis were scarred with evidence of the Replicators' destruction. She was aware of Jack moving to cover their rear, doing the same sweep she'd done. Even though she'd never gone into combat with the version of Jack that now took up his position at their back, nothing in the way he moved was different. She took comfort in that as she began to lead them toward the lab she believed the DeLorean Detector was in.

They had materialized as close to the lab as they dared, not knowing where the replicators were concentrated. As they walked down the hall they encountered more and more of the bugs, but so far the creatures hadn't acknowledged their presence. "They don't seem to know we're here," Charlie commented in a whisper.

"That could change any moment," Sam told him as she paused to get her bearings. This was not a part of Atlantis she'd been in more than once. "They will probably only attack if they perceive us as a threat."

"Probably, Carter," Jack asked, following a bug with his P90. The creature was crawling past them on the opposite wall. Charlie was doing the same. Sam didn't blame either of them. SG1 had all done the same the first time they'd met the bugs. She shrugged and was rewarded with a skyward roll of his eyes, before he lowered his weapon marginally.

Charlie didn't follow suit. He kept his weapon trained on the mechanical clacking aliens but fell in behind her as she turned the corner. There was so much devastation that Sam was afraid they'd find the lab wrecked as well, but as she reached the door they were looking for and palmed it open, she was pleasantly surprised. Very little inside the room had been touched. Quickly scanning the compartments, Sam called Jack to her.

Eyeing the mechanism Sam indicated, Jack raised an eyebrow at her before placing his hand over the mechanism. He watched the lights come on in the compartment and the glass slide back allowing access. "Sort of tingles," he commented, reaching inside the cabinet and pulling out the ancient time machine detector.

"Does it hurt?" Charlie asked him from his position watching the door.

"Feels like passing your hand through static electricity" he answered. "Tingles all across your skin, but it doesn't hurt, like making you aware there's something powerful here, but just under the surface," he explained, his eyes catching Sam's and making her shiver with the intensity. He held her gaze before turning back to Charlie. Sam wasn't surprised at the reaction this man could get from her with just a look. Jack O'Neill had been doing it in the field for years. This man didn't have to worry about regs so the nuances were less subtle than she was used to, but just as powerful. Sam was, however, surprised by the poetic side of Jack, she'd expected a smart-ass answer, but then he was probably trying to comfort Charlie in case the young man had to use any of the technology.

Putting her thoughts back on track, Sam reached for the Delorean Detector, amused to see Jack run his hand over the door and close it again. She wondered if he just liked playing with the Ancient controls. "Shuttle bay next?" he was asking her. Charlie and Jack were looking at her with almost an identical look on their faces.

***

Jack watched Sam examine the device. Her skin was still flushed from his earlier flirting. He smiled and didn't try to hide his pleasure at her company. Even in a life and death situation there was pleasure in her company. No wonder he hadn't wanted to give up working with her in the other time-line. Wow, that must have been hell not wanting to give up the woman or the officer at his side. What a choice that must have been. He couldn't imagine keeping his hands off of her, especially now that he knew what it was like to make love to her and wake up with her in his arms.

"Everything there?" Jack asked, pushing the thoughts of other times out of his head and focusing on Sam. He knew she'd mentioned having notes on the device from her time as commander of Atlantis. He assumed she was making sure the thing was intact. They didn't need to come all this distance just to find out that they'd left a piece sitting in the lab. He glanced at Charlie on watch beside the door. He was so proud of his son. In such a strange and dangerous situation, the young airman remained calm and was following their lead. It didn't hurt that the two officers with him were calm and experienced, but still he was showing an extreme amount of poise for such a young officer.

"Just another minute," Sam stated as she turned the device over in her hand and opened a small panel on the underside. Jack didn't reply. He trusted her and was content to wait. Well, as content as he ever was to wait, he thought with a grin. He wasn't used to allowing someone else to take lead, but Sam set the tone from the moment that they'd materialized in the hall of the great city. Jack was comfortable to let her take point on the mission. Her competence was clear. He had taken up his position watching their six and hadn't thought twice.

Now, standing in the alien city with his son keeping watch and Sam pressing the time machine detector into the pouch slung over her shoulder, Jack felt grief slam him in the chest so hard and unexpectedly it hurt to take a breath. Their mission was real, this whole thing was real. They were going to fix the time-line, save the universe from being ripped apart, hopefully even save his son and he wouldn't be alive to see any of it. Ok, he'd be alive, but he wouldn't be him. Success meant his death, because as surely as they took his memories of his son and his time with Sam, they would be killing him.

"Jack," Sam must have called him more than once because her eyes reflected her worry and a quick glance at Charlie confirmed his unease. "You ok?" Sam reached for him, waiting for his answer. He looked into her eyes and knew he was doing the right thing. If his life was what it cost to keep these two people safe then he'd pay it, but it hurt like hell.

"Lead on Carter, I've got you six," he told her, squeezing her hand once where it lay on his arm and releasing her. She studied his face for a moment longer and looked like she was about to say something more, but changed her mind and turned back to the door. As they headed out of the room, they took up the same configuration they'd had since arriving and headed back the way they came.

The bugs still didn't seem to take much notice of them. Jack was starting to get hopeful that they would be ok. Looking around as they weaved through corridors, he was amazed. "We're walking through an alien city in another galaxy looking for a time machine," Charlie's voice whispered in front of him as they rounded a deserted hall, making Jack chuckle. It was as if the boy had pulled the thoughts right out of his head.

"A city that the Colonel in front of you is in command of in her timeline," Jack added. Charlie's head whipped around at him so fast that the boy caught him smiling.

"Seriously," Charlie's voice had a note of awe in it.

"For a year," Sam confirmed.

"Wow," was all Charlie could say as they halted next to a door and Sam started pressing buttons. Checking the readout, she turned to them with a grin. "It's here," she grinned. "I wasn't sure. Dr. Weir's notes about where her old self had said that Janus had this jumper hidden weren't really detailed, but I found this place once in my timeline and I thought it fit with the descriptions in her logs."

"That whole statement was messed up," Jack pointed out. "I'm just saying." She didn't answer him but shrugged and moved aside so he could activate the controls. He raised an eyebrow at her and started to lift his hand, but stopped. There seemed to be no danger from the mechanisms that required the ancient gene. "Charlie, why don't you hit this one," he said, moving back so that his son could run his hand over the panel. The smile on his son's face as the panel slid aside was worth it. He and Sam dropped into positions to go through the door as if they had been doing it for years.

Jack enjoyed the feel of such a competent woman/soldier beside him as he took one side and she took the other. There were no bugs to be seen. He was aware of Charlie behind him and to his right. Glancing at Sam, she signaled him forward. The darkness of the lab gave way to lights that automatically lit as they moved forward. Looking around the walls, Jack found a panel recessed into one side. "Carter, I think I found the controls for the room over here." She was to his side almost immediately.

"Here it is," she said after a minute. "It is right above us. All I have to do is re-route enough power to the controls and then you can lower the ship and we can be on our way."

"What aren't you saying?" It all sounded too easy to him and he could see the hesitation in her face.

"When I re-route the power it will probably bring the bugs. They seemed to be interested in parts of the city still with power. They are probably eating the city and using the power to build ships or maybe human form replicators, I'm not sure."

"Point is, depending on how far away they are and what's above us, it might get a little bit busy in here in a hurry." He turned to his son and received a nod as the boy adjusted his weapon and showed himself ready. Sam waited for his signal and pressed some buttons. It wasn't long before the panel in front of them lit up. At almost the same moment she stood back to allow him to activate the controls the door behind them opened and swarms of bugs started in. The racket they made was deafening as well as unnerving. Jack glanced over his shoulder to see Sam and Charlie standing between him and the robot bugs firing a steady stream. Everywhere the bullets struck, the bugs lost parts or simply busted apart if the shot was good enough.

Jack saw the ceiling begin to lower and could see the edge of something sitting on the platform. He took his hand off of the controls intending to join the fight behind him, but as soon as he removed his hand the ship started to retract back into the ceiling. "Jack!" Sam's voice behind him was urgent.

"I see it Carter," he shouted back, slamming his hand down on the controls and thinking 'Down faster' at the machine. "The down button doesn't seem to have an automatic," he noted. "Can you hold them?" There were a lot of bugs coming through the door. She and Charlie were doing a good job of holding them off.

"We've got it covered," Charlie shouted back. His voice a little shaky, but strong, Jack was relieved to realize. The ship seemed to descend in slow motion, but he knew it was only seconds. As soon as the platform hit the floor Jack removed his hand experimentally. The ship stayed in place. Sam had already shifted her position to cover both the door and part of the wall where the replicators were crawling down from above.

"Lieutenant, get to the ship," she ordered in a calm command voice that spoke of her years of combat experience. Jack had taken up a position covering the other side of the ship and Charlie's line of retreat as well. She'd known he'd do that. He could tell by her positioning. It registered in the back of his mind as he watched his son dart to the ship with Sam expertly covering him and Jack covering their flank, that the two of them made quite a team in and out of bed.

Charlie reached the side of the ship and was following Sam's instructions on how to lower the tailgate of the craft. Jack checked his progress and adjusted his position again. The bugs were coming fast and they felt overwhelming. "You next Carter, I've got you covered," he ordered, years in command creating too many habits to start fighting them now. He wasn't surprised when she followed his instructions and took up a position at the back of the craft covering him as he made his retreat.

"Picture it in your head just like I told you Charlie and punch it," he heard her telling his son as he dove into the already closing craft. The little ship shuttered and started forward. He could hear the 'clink clink' of the bugs falling off of the ship as it accelerated forward. Sam was at the controls in the back of the ship pulling down clear wires and moving what looked like crystals. The doors in front of them opened as Jack was taking a seat next to his son.

"Nice job Son, but mind if I take her off your hands?" he asked his son. Charlie's face was white and his hands shook as he gave over control of the craft to his dad. "You did real good back there Charlie. I'm proud of you." Jack glanced out of the corner of his eye at his boy. The color was slowly coming back into his face and he looked pleased with himself. He might have been about to answer, but Sam came up behind them.

"You did an amazing job back there Lieutenant O'Neill," Sam informed Charlie. "You can serve under my command anytime." Jack didn't say a word, but the smile that spread across his son's face as the young airman acknowledged her praise with a choked "Thank you, Ma'am," made him feel tight in the chest too. If he hadn't already been head over heels in love with the kick ass woman standing next to his seat, he'd have fallen right then he realized. As the craft soared out into the open air, Jack felt torn. He'd been handed everything he could ever wish for in the two people beside him, but he'd only been granted a moment with them.


	29. Tinkering

Chapter 29

Sam watched Jack as he flew the Puddle Jumper. He'd never touched alien technology, but his innate abilities and years of flying experience allowed him to become proficient quickly. She'd known that Jack would take the weirdness of their situation well. She'd never known him not to adapt quickly. That thought lead to a quick vision of her flipping them over during sex intending to take control, but Jack had adjusted to her tactics without hesitation. Wow, where did that thought come from, she questioned herself, pressing a hand to her heated face. Pushing those thoughts aside for later, Sam considered how things had gone.

She was pleased with Charlie's performance. He had been nervous, but relied on both she and his dad for direction just as he should. He'd kept his cool and done well. She could hear Charlie asking his father how to locate Thor's ship and how he had known how to access the sensors. Jack's explanation made her smile. She'd never seen him so patient, so invested. He was missing a hardness that kept him at arm's length from even those he loved and trusted.

This man was lighter, more at peace with the world around him than the Jack that she'd known for ten years. His emotions were closer to the surface. She knew he carried the same darkness that she'd always sensed in her commanding officer, but seeing him with Charlie she realized that his son was his lifeline. Just as she and SG1 had brought their Jack back to the world of the living, Charlie had kept his father there the whole time.

This version of Jack had never given up on life, never been suicidal, never shut his emotions away from everyone, including himself, to keep from being swallowed by his pain and guilt. Sam grieved for the man she loved and the damage that his son's death had caused him. It had robbed him of so much. She thanked God that Daniel, Teal'c and she had been able to bring their friend back to the land of the living. But Sam's heart broke that he'd never truly heal.

As much as she loved the man sitting in front of her guiding the little craft expertly into the O'Neill's docking bay and realized he was her Jack, her heart hurt for the man she'd watched die by Ba'al's hand. More than likely she wouldn't remember any of the changes to the timeline, she knew that, but Sam was glad she'd made the decision to try to save his son. She hoped that seeing who his son would have been had he lived and meeting the amazing young man she was coming to know would help Jack heal.

Sam wasn't surprised to find the three of them enveloped in Thor's transporter beam and deposited on the bridge. "I have completed the weapon. These Replicators are of the inferior design that we first encountered years ago. I do not believe that they will be enough of a threat to warrant its use at this time. They are unable to track us." Sam had placed the DeLorean Detector on the counter they'd materialized next to and was now looking over the commander's shoulder.

"I noticed the bugs that we encountered were very primitive forms, but they are all the way out here in Atlantis. I wonder what made such a difference in their history." She was curious. Thor was also studying the readouts.

"Without SG1's help, we did not trap the Replicators in the time dilation field. It appears that without that event the Replicators became more widespread, but less advanced."

"Wow, SG1 really seems to have gotten around," Jack's amusement was evident. "We must not have taken off much time." He was standing in front of the console resting his very muscular, very tan arms on the front. Oh God, Sam thought, she was like a high school girl with her first crush.

"All of us tried to take as little time off as possible, Jack," Sam informed him. "You used to make us go fishing with you whenever we had down time." Jack's dirty look was interrupted by the choking sounds coming from Charlie. Apparently he'd been taking a sip of water and had spewed it through his nose at her comment. Sam chuckled as the young man wiped his sleeve across his face.

"She's really got your number Dad," he laughed, making Jack roll his eyes again. Sam didn't comment, just winked at him as she abandoned Thor and turned back to the time machine detector they'd retrieved. She really wished she'd listened more to McKay's rambling about how the device worked. Sam smiled. Jack used to tell her that McKay was the universe's revenge on her. After all the years of techno babble she'd provided him with, McKay had done the same to Sam. Sad to say, but she'd found herself hurrying him along. At times she'd catch herself sounding just like Jack.

"What are you smiling about beautiful?" Jack's voice at her side startled her. She looked up into the warmth of his eyes and the obvious love showing there and shivered in response. "You figured that thing out already or it just makes you that happy to tinker with it?"

"Just makes me happy to tinker." She didn't bother to elaborate. "I miss my lab."

"I thought you were in command." Charlie perched himself on the edge of a ledge running along one wall right beside the bench.

"I am these days and I love it," she told the young officer as she pried another panel off to look for the power source. "But there is just something about tinkering with some piece of alien technology and figuring out what it does and how it does it that will just never get old." Sam triumphantly held the now humming device out for them to see as she replaced the panel she'd opened. "Just had to reconnect the power source," she informed them, turning the machine over so that it sat up on what seemed to be a platform build into the bottom.

"Ok, now it's working. Thor, can you interface it with your computer?"

"I can indeed Samantha." He was already working. It wasn't long before they were looking at a star map clearly showing distortions emanating from it. He continued to manipulate the controls and the device glowed white. The star map changed and seemed to retreat showing a larger area. There was an area that blinked red and strange symbols appeared.

"I believe I have found Ba'al's time manipulation device," Thor informed them, his voice grave. It is in a remote area of the galaxy that we have just come from. It will take us approximately 3 days to reach the area." Sam couldn't take her eyes off of the second anomaly.

"That," she said, pointing at the screen, "is the wave function collapse?" She'd never imagined that such a thing was possible, beyond being interested in the theory. "It's not a theory anymore," she whispered, moving closer to the screen.

"What is that?" Jack was at her elbow and Charlie next to him. "The stars are missing and space is purple."

"That's what we are fighting to stop," she answered him. "We are looking at space being ripped apart by the collapse of time." Charlie moved closer to his dad, but she didn't think he was even aware he'd done it. "The space that looks purple is actually shifting, but neither Thor nor I know what it's shifting to." She glanced at Thor. He didn't correct her. She assumed he was studying the readings from the anomaly.

"The readings that I am receiving at this distance make little sense and we dare go no closer. I have set a course for Ba'al's time apparatus. I will inform you if I am able to collect any data that would prove helpful." Sam had never heard Thor sound so flat and unemotional before. He was as worried as they were. That in and of itself scared her more than she was willing to admit, Sam acknowledged to herself.

"I think we should all get something to eat and get some rest. We've been up for nearly 12 hours now and we've got some pretty rough days ahead of us." Jack was right. Sam nodded. Jack turned to Charlie expectantly. The boy was staring up at the screen.

"Thor, Sam," Charlie slowly turned from the screen and searched their faces. "That thing is going to kill my dad," he told them. "Either it will kill all of us or just him." Sam's heart shattered at the pain in his voice. "Can't either of you do something? You figured out a way to save me. I stay on this ship with Thor right at the end and I'm protected. Bam, I live. Can't you do that for Dad? Can't he stay on the ship in those last few seconds and be protected too?"

"Charlie," Jack's voice shook with frustration, sadness, hopelessness. "I've explained this." Sam couldn't watch the pain in his face as he reached for words. She put her hand on Jack's back and rubbed circles as she interrupted him.

"Charlie I would save your dad if I could. I don't want to lose him or the memories I have of him, but I know that he's explained this to you and that you understand the science of this well enough." She didn't let him interrupt her when he opened his mouth to stop her. "There is only one of you. You should be fine once Thor removes the temporal shielding, but with your dad it is different. There would be two of him..."

"And the Jack you remember is more important than this one." The bitterness in Charlie's voice came across loud and clear. Before Sam had time to recover from the blow, Jack jumped in. He'd barely gotten his son's name out when Sam pulled herself together and stepped between them meeting Jack's eyes and quieting him.

She held his eyes silently asking him permission to deal with this. After a moment he nodded slightly. She laid her hand flat against his neck in a soft caress before turning back to his son. Jack's hand settled on her waist, giving her strength. "Charlie, you have every right to be angry, and in your position I'd probably think the same thing, but it is not that I am choosing one man over another. Your dad is the same Jack O'Neill that I know. None of us are sure what is going to happen, but there is no way to protect your dad's memories of now over his memoires of the other time." She paused, trying to judge if the younger O'Neill was following him.

"If he stays on this ship and is protected by the temporal shielding there will essentially be two of the exact same person trying to exist at the exact same time. More than likely that will him. For lack of a better way to explain it, that will kill both the father who raised you and the one that lost you because they can't both exist at the same time. It could even create another tear like the one that you see out there," she pointed at the screen.

"What Sam is saying to you in a hell of a lot nicer terms than you deserve after that little outburst is we've been through this and we can't take that chance. It has to go down like this son," Jack finished for her. She was surprised at his tone, but by the end he'd softened.

Charlie seemed to take everything in. No one said anything, giving the young man time to process what he'd been told. "I'm sorry Sam," he finally said, meeting her eyes as he apologized. "I can see you love my Dad and I've never seen my dad so happy with anyone before." She could feel her face coloring. She didn't think she'd been quite so obvious. "If he trusts that you have done everything that you can then I'm going to trust that too. I really didn't mean what I just said."

"It's Ok Charlie," Sam soothed. "I understand." He nodded and told them that he wanted to stay with Thor for a while and try to enjoy that he was in a space craft in another galaxy. Sam figured he just needed some time to himself. This was all a lot to take in and the prospect of losing his father had to be eating him alive. She wished there was something that she could do for him, but this was something he'd have to come to terms on himself.

"I'm going to go and fix us sandwiches," she told Jack as they both watched Charlie wander over to one of the windows that looked out onto space. "Why don't I fix you something and you can come find me after you've talked to him." She knew that Jack wouldn't want to leave his son hurting so badly.

Jack smiled at her and pulled her to him to press a quick kiss on her lips. "Any moon pies in your stash?" he asked her. She smiled. There were some things about Jack O'Neill that were universal and unchanging.

"I'll see what I can find," she told him.

"Meet you in your quarters?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure, you betcha," She laughed back at him as she headed out the door.

It was nearly an hour later that Sam opened her door at Jack's knock. He looked worn out. His hair was wet and more spiky than normal. He must have taken a shower. He didn't say a word, just wrapped his arms around her and held on. "How is Charlie?" she asked, returning his hug and making no move to let go. After a few minutes he relaxed against her and took a step back. "He's about like his old man," Jack answered, letting her lead him into the room and sitting down on the bench at the foot of her bed. "He thinks this whole thing sucks, but there isn't anything we can do about it so we'll deal." He picked up the sandwich she'd made him unenthusiastically, flipped back a corner of the bread to confirm the mustard had been liberally applied and took a bite.

She watched him eat. She wasn't sure what to say. She and Jack didn't do feelings, that was Daniel's job. He was the one that asked how each of them was doing and listened carefully, offering advice. She and Jack had gotten better, but most of their deep discussions took place with the lights out, lying beside each other in bed.

Sighing, Sam reached for the right thing to say. "This has got to be killing you," at his eyebrow raise she realized what she said and blushed. "Oh God Jack, I'm sorry, bad choice of words." He laughed at her as he shoved the last bit of sandwich in his mouth and reached for the moon pie.

"I get it Sam and I don't want to talk about it." He put aside the pie and reached for her. She allowed him to pull her sideways across his lap. She was a very tall woman, but this man always made her feel petite. "I just spent an hour trying to work through Charlie's feelings about this. I can't do mine now too." He kissed her neck. "I was actually hoping that we'd just do each other." Those words shot all the way to her center. Her body tightened in response.

"I love you Jack," she told him, wanting to offer some comfort. "Yes you, O'Neill," she reiterated, knowing he needed some comfort of his own. She pulled back and cupped his face in her hands and searched his face to see if he got her meaning. "So there is no mistake O'Neill, I love you whether you are a colonel, a general, with or without memories."

"Oh God Samantha," he breathed against her lips. "It's like someone pulled you from my head, you're every fantasy I've ever had." Sam thought she saw the sheen of tears in his eyes, but dismissed it as he took her mouth. Jack took his time exploring. It was as if he was trying to memorize the feel of her, the taste of her. His hands were tangled in her hair angling her for his kiss.

She used her own hands to remove his shirt. Jack growled low in his chest when he was forced to release her mouth to allow his shirt over his head. He didn't waste the movement though as he reached for her and removed hers as well. He pushed her shorts off of her legs without letting her up from his lap.

Sam could feel his erection pressing against her bottom. All he was wearing was a pair of sweat pants. She reached to push them off as well, but couldn't from her position. Holding onto his shoulders as she kissed his way down her neck, she pulled herself across him and straddled his waist. Jack groaned and lifted them both so that she could brace her knees on either side of his hips and lift up enough to free him from his pants.

Sam cried out as his lips closed on her nipple and he bit down lightly before flicking her with his tongue. She arched up against his mouth, lost in the sensations he was creating. She wanted to lower herself on his rampant member, but his hands were on her waist holding her breasts level with his mouth. He nipped and licked at her flesh, going back and forth between her breasts, taking the whole areola in his mouth before savaging her nipple until she whimpered and then moving to the other.

"Let me ride you." Her voice was throaty and low. He allowed her nipple to slip from his teeth and soothed the skin with his tongue before pulling back to look her in the eye.

"Samantha Carter," he told her as he lowered her slowly onto himself. "I love you more than I thought possible. You make me believe in all that Hallmark crap." She would have laughed at that part, but it was so typical Jack, she felt tears run down her face even as her body strained to accept his. At the angle that he held her in she couldn't do anything but allow her body to swallow his broad head and hard length. The exquisite pressure as her sheath stretched for him made her roll her hips to speed the process, but he kept the slow steady movement until she sat fully in his lap. It was as if her body recognized that she belonged to this man, she was already contracting around him when he started to move her against him.

Sam held onto his shoulders and kissed her way across his neck allowing his hands on her hips to guide their movements. She added her own strength, but didn't fight his rhythm. Jack was so deeply buried inside her that each time he pulled her forward his swollen head would caress her g-spot. She cried out as her orgasm began to build. When Jack slipped a finger between them she wasn't ready for it and jumped. "Shh sweetheart," he soothed.

Jack didn't keep his finger against her long, just a fleeting touch through her wet folds before he moved his hand between her buttocks and slid a finger to her virgin hole. As she started to stiffen in surprise, he pulled her hard against him with the other hand and rolled his hips, grinding himself against both her g-spot and the bundle of nerves trapped between their bodies at the same time. "Oh God Jack," she moaned, still unsure.

"Trust me Sam, just relax. Let me do this for you," he told her before capturing her mouth in a searing kiss. Sam felt enveloped. His body pounded steadily into hers, she was pressed against his chest with his tongue wrestling hers, and his finger pushed against her puckered rear entrance in time with his thrusts.

She moaned into his mouth and began to press back against his finger. She hadn't known how good it would feel. When he slipped just the tip inside her, she tightened in response. "Give me your ass Samantha, trust me honey," he instructed. His voice was deep and rich with his own passion and he continued to move inside her. She was nearing her climax and his words were incredibly hot. She felt her body opening to him and pressed back taking his finger inside her.

Jack groaned. "That's right, let me make you fly again, Sam." She didn't hesitate to answer him, but the yes came out more as a moan than coherent words. The slide of his finger in and out of her rear entrance as his hard body moved deep within her wet passage was driving her over the edge. Suddenly the world shifted and Sam had to hold onto Jack's shoulders as he pulled back and slammed into her so hard it tore a scream from her throat. His answering scream told her that he about to fill her with his essence moments before she felt his hot seed erupt against her womb. All the sensation was too much, Sam's orgasm crashed across her breaking her into a million pieces.


	30. Lessons

Chapter 30

Jack barely remembered getting them both to the bed. He'd been exhausted, but when Sam went to disengage herself from him, he hadn't wanted to let her go. He'd ignored his protesting knees, stood up with Sam wrapped around him, his body still sheathed in hers, and gotten them to the bed.

Beside him, Sam twisted in her sleep and pulled away from him to flop across the pillow next to her. He smiled as she wiggled her head back and forth before settling back into sleep. God, he couldn't image ever meeting someone so completely perfect in his eyes and then to have her love him, it defied the laws of O'Neill logic. The chemistry between them was too strong, too quicksilver to believe that it could all be based on memories. He believed her when she said she loved him.

Three more days and they would no longer remember any of this, at least he wouldn't. The person he was, the Jack O'Neill he was right now, would not exist. If that wasn't death then he didn't know what was. The grief he'd felt earlier that day crept back in. He was so good at putting his emotions away when he'd had to, but he couldn't seem to now.

The pit of his stomach twisted. He didn't want to feel this. There wasn't a damn thing he could do to change the outcome. As the pain twisted further in his gut and traveled to his heart, Jack reached out blindly and pulled Sam back against him. He just needed to hold on.

She wiggled her butt against him and snuggled more into his body, but didn't wake up. She was so full of life, so vibrant. He buried his head in her hair and breathed in life, attempting to push away the death he felt creeping up on him.

The soft moan Sam released at his cuddling pushed death back a little further. It had only been a few hours since she'd been astride him, accepting his body into hers and filling his soul at the same time. Jack knew he probably should let her get sleep, but he needed her. Slowly running his hands up and down her body, be reached around her and slid a hand down her flat stomach and into the light dusting of soft hair that covered her mons. She moaned softly, but still didn't waken.

Jack slowly slid a finger to her clit and patted her gently. She rolled her hips back against him, pulling a groan from him. He didn't want to move fast, he was enjoying waking her. Kissing the back of her neck, he kept his finger moving slowly over the bundle of nerves guarding the entrance to her body. The more he circled and pressed, the more active she became as she climbed out of a deep sleep. When he added his teeth against the back of her neck to the mix, Sam moaned loudly.

"Oh God Jack," she groaned, the raspiness of sleep still in her voice as she came awake. She pushed back against his body. Jack responded by sliding his hand down her thigh and raising her leg up and back to hook over his hips. He slid two fingers into her folds to test her readiness for him even as he positioned his shaft against her entrance. The fluids gushing over his fingers told him all he needed to know. He didn't question further, just pulled back and thrust forward, impaling her in one powerful stroke. Sam cried out at the same time she found his rhythm and matched her thrusts to his.

Death let go of him and retreated under the onslaught of life sliding around him. Jack knew he wouldn't last long. The way that Sam was pumping back against him at every stroke was pushing him further out of control. He slid one hand up to cup her breasts and leaned forward, intending to kiss his way along her neck, when he felt Sam move slightly.

Suddenly his balls were in her hand and she was squeezing them firmly while rolling her fingers. He growled loudly at the incredible sensations rising. Her inner walls fluttered around his pulsing shaft. She was nearing her release as well and it was threatening to send him flying. Jack reached for his iron control. He wanted to make sure she came hard for him, but he wasn't prepared when, with one final firm pull on his sack, she tightened her inner muscles and slammed back hard against him calling his name and pressing his balls up against his body.

It was too much, Jack lost control and crested. He had to grab her hips as he pumped into her from behind, draining himself into her wet center. He dimly felt her go to pieces around him, shouting his name again. It was a while before he came back to himself. He was still deeply embedded in her and neither of them made any move to change that. He rested his head against her neck. Tightening his arms against her, he fell asleep quietly enjoying the feel of her nails lightly scratching the arm that was crossed over her stomach.

***

Sam was glad that Jack could finally sleep. She knew something was deeply troubling him and she had a good idea what it was, but she didn't know what to say to make it better. There was nothing that she could say or do. They both knew that at the end of this she probably wouldn't remember anything and neither would he. The difference was that she remembered who she was in both timelines and forgetting the last few months made her sad, she grieved him, but she wasn't dying and it didn't feel like it.

Jack couldn't say the same. She knew him too well. He didn't remember any other life then the one he'd led in this timeline. He was not going to remember any of this when their mission was over. He would see that as death and for him it pretty much was. She wished she could find a way of fixing things. She loved this man. She'd gotten to see a whole side of Jack O'Neill that she would never have known.

Charlie's death had changed him so profoundly. Sam mourned for the lighthearted man that lay behind her. She couldn't remember a time she hadn't loved Jack and he was who Jack had been before a part of him had died with Charlie. Sam's thoughts jumbled and twisted, she could barely keep herself from tossing and turning. She really wished that they were not too far away to talk to Daniel. She could use a friend.

When Jack turned in his sleep, releasing her and allowing his body to slide from hers, she finally gave up on sleep. Sam very carefully slid from the covers. Jack didn't stir. That was a testament to how exhausted he was and how comfortable in her bed. Jack O'Neill did not sleep heavily. He was very easy to wake except when he was planet side and very comfortable with his surroundings. She was mildly surprised that she didn't wake him as she dressed and slipped out of the room.

As she entered the bridge, Sam was shocked to see Charlie intently staring at the computer screen. She didn't say anything and he didn't notice her. She wasn't an Air Force Colonel for nothing, she thought as she quietly made it to his side and began to read over his shoulder. He didn't notice her presence and Thor had merely looked up at her and gone back to work.

Sam read for several minutes before announcing her presence. "Charlie," she had barely gotten his name out when the young officer startled and swung around so quickly that he'd have knocked into her if she hadn't been prepared and moved out of the way. Sam studied his face. This was the second time he'd looked guilty at being caught on the bridge by himself. She'd dismissed it the first time, but wasn't quite sure she should the second.

"Colonel, I mean Sam," he stammered. Ok, that was not a good sign she decided. "What are you doing up so late?"

"Couldn't sleep, thought I'd get some work done." She didn't face him, but stepped closer and considered what was on the screen. "Why are you studying jumper blueprints?" she asked. She turned to look him in the eyes. She had a bad feeling. Sam reached across him to check to see what exactly he'd been looking at. She was surprised when he literally jerked the stone control out of her hand and disengaged the screen. What was the boy up to?

"No offense Sam, but just because you and my dad have hooked up doesn't give you the right to mother me." Sam had been in command long enough to recognize when she was being stonewalled and she'd known Jack O'Neill long enough to recognize diversionary tactics. The boy was attempting to use both on her. His tone was deliberately belligerent, but his stance told her he was hiding something. Didn't matter at this point, his attitude wasn't flying with her.

"Lieutenant O'Neill," her manner was all command and she'd learned from the best. The young man's eyes shot wide. "I will not ask you again, what are you doing studying the schematics of the jumper?" He came to attention almost subconsciously. When he hesitated she stood a little taller and glowered at him.

Lieutenant Charles O'Neill came to attention at her look and blanched white. "I wanted to understand what the ship does and how to operate it in case I am needed ma'am. I should never have spoken to you in such a disrespectful manner. I am sorry ma'am." His speech carried the cadence of a young officer just out of the academy. Sam was reminded just how young and inexperienced he was and how much he was going through.

She wasn't quite willing to let him all the way off the hook yet. "I understand that you are in a very difficult situation and I'm willing to listen, talk to you about anything you need and help you in any way I can." She let that sink in, not continuing until he nodded. "But when it comes to this mission, the equipment, anything I might need to know from you, I will not tolerate anything less than your complete cooperation. This can go wrong in a hundred different ways, any one of which can mean your death at the very least, and the destruction of life as we know it at worst. Do I make myself clear Lieutenant?"

"Yes ma'am," Charlie answered immediately. She took another moment to study him. She believed him, but something felt off. Attributing the feeling to the weirdness of the situation, she was questioning Jack's grown son after all, she relaxed her stance.

"Good, now show me what you were looking at and I'll explain what I can. I think it's a good idea for you to familiarize yourself with the jumper just in case." She caught his eye and held it. "A much better idea than ripping something out of my hand," she commented. Charlie had the good grace to blush all the way to his hairline.

"I'm incredibly sorry about that Sam. You've been good to my dad and to me. I guess I just feel like I'm the weak link. What if something happens and you depend on me to fly the jumper like today and I can't handle it? Did you see the difference between how I handled the ship and how dad did? Neither of us has ever touched it before, but he could fly that thing and I couldn't."

Sam could see how much the young officer was trying to be an asset to them. He was essentially right. It could come down to him having to fly the craft. "Thor," Sam called across the room. "Is it possible to construct a dampening field around the bay that the jumper is in? One that would allow us to do a little flying, but not do any damage to either ship if something were to go wrong?" She watched Thor cross to one of the side panels and manipulate the controls.

"The force field is in effect. It will allow the operation of the Ancient craft without danger of damage to my ship or the jumper." Thor must have found something pretty interesting because he didn't question them further, just went back to the station he'd been at when Sam had arrived and went back to work.

"Don't Just sit there, Charlie," she told him, already heading for the door. "You'll miss your flying lessons." She didn't need to turn around to know the boy was flying across the room to catch up with her. Sure enough, his footsteps announced his presence beside her before she'd made it much past the door.

"You're really going to teach me to fly the jumper like Dad does?" Charlie sounded so much like a kid, Sam smiled. He was enthusiastic and excited. She realized she was looking forward to spending some time getting to know him.

"I'm going to show you how to fly the craft. I don't have the gene, but I can talk you through the basics," she told him. "But Charlie, you have to remember that your dad has been flying most of his career. He's got a natural feel for it that you can't teach, which comes with practice," she told him. "He also has experience that you don't. Take it easy on yourself. More than likely you won't be asked to fly the jumper in combat, but we can get you proficient enough if we need you." Charlie seemed to accept what she was saying. He fell in silently beside her as they made their way to the bay.

***

Jack woke to an empty bed. He was disappointed, but it was probably for the best this time. He needed to go and find Charlie and check on him. He'd asked to be left alone last night, and Jack had accepted that his boy needed some down time to process everything and find his footing, but he wanted to make sure that he'd given him enough space without giving him too much. Sometimes Charlie could get buried in his own head just like Sara could.

Finding both his son's room and the bridge empty, Thor had pointed him in the direction of one of the hanger bays. He hadn't questioned the little alien, the commander was obviously preoccupied with something, but Jack just assumed Sam was working on the jumper and Charlie was keeping her company. He was glad his boy felt comfortable enough with Sam to talk to her and enjoy her company.

"What the hell is going on?" Jack roared when he stepped in the door to the hanger bay and had to flatten himself against the wall to keep from being smashed by the low flying ship. His outburst was wasted since the people in the ship couldn't hear him. Watching for a few minutes he figured out that there was some kind of an energy barrier between him and the jumper.

The little ship made laps for awhile before banking sharply and reversing directions. The maneuvers varied and went on for about fifteen more minutes before the craft came to a landing twenty feet in front of him. When the rear door opened Jack met the occupants as they exited.

"So flying lessons, Carter?" Jack questioned. He'd been a little put out that it wasn't him teaching his son to fly, but he'd gotten over it before the craft landed. He was amused that she'd gone to so much trouble to teach his son to fly the little alien craft.

"Dad," the young man in question bounded up to him. Sam just stopped a few paces away and watched. She smiled, but let Charlie do the talking. "Sam set it up so that I couldn't hurt anything and we've been working on my flying skills. She talked me through how to access the computer for information and how to not operate the time machine. We spent a lot of time talking about how not to operate the time machine." Jack could just imagine.

"We might need him," she spoke up finally. "I hope you don't mind." He figured it was occurring to her that he might be upset that she'd taken it upon herself to decide that his boy needed to know the basics of alien spacecraft operations. Truly, he was upset for a moment. Even when Sara had been alive, it had been Jack that took care of teaching new 'manly' skills. Sara hadn't had any interest in teaching him sports or driving or those father/son bonding things. Frankly, she really hadn't had a talent for most of them so they'd fallen to Jack. He'd loved every minute. After his initial reaction, he'd had time to think. Now he discovered that he liked Sam being involved with his son.

Having such a strong woman around him would be good. When his mind went to the outcome of the mission, Jack dismissed it. He wasn't in the mood for a reality check right now. Jack reached for Sam and pulled her to his side. He liked the shocked expression on both of their faces when he kissed her lips before settling her against him and turning his attention back to his son. It was small, but he wasn't without his surprises either. "So how'd Alien Spacecraft 101 go?" he inquired.

"Great Dad," Charlie answered after a moment. He had obviously been trying to decide if he should comment on his father's open show of affection for Sam. He'd apparently decided against it. "Sam explained everything really well. I got the feel of the ship pretty fast. If there is an emergency I think I'll be able to help. If you ask me to," he amended quickly. Sam must have given him a lecture or two. Jack smiled. He knew what if felt like to be on the receiving end of a Carter lecture, not a pleasant place to be.

"Did you sleep at all?" He couldn't pretend not to notice the dark circles under Charlie's eyes. His son yawned as if on cue.

"Now that you mention it Dad, I didn't really get any sleep. I did run down and get something to eat, but I was too excited to sleep. I guess I had better hit the sack." He stretched again. "Thank you Sam." Charlie's eyes were warm. "That was amazing. I appreciate you taking all the time you did explaining things. Dad's right, your brain is off the scale." Jack was amused to see Sam dip her head at the comment. He liked her shy side. There certainly wasn't much of it, but it was endearing when it did show itself.

"Go get some sleep kid. It's still pretty early and it wouldn't hurt us all to be well rested." Jack slapped a hand on his son's shoulder in affection. Jack watched his son go. He seemed so much better now then he had a few hours ago.


	31. Zero G

Chapter 31 - Zero G's

Jack was getting bored. Charlie was still asleep and Sam was playing with her time machine doohickey. She seemed to believe that there might be some way to access more information from the device. She was hoping that they could find more information on exactly how Ba'al had been able to change the timeline and how to counteract what he'd done.

Thor seemed pretty preoccupied. Jack didn't want to bother him. "So are we back in our galaxy yet, Sam?" Jack inquired. He had an idea. Sam looked up from her work and moved a couple of stones on the board she was working on.

"We are," she confirmed. "Wondering if we're there yet Jack?" She smiled. He guessed that he hadn't been very patient with being bored, with or without memories. He walked around behind her and leaned into her, trapping her between his body and the console in front of her. He liked that she shivered when he pressed his lips to her neck and flicked his tongue against her sensitive skin. "Nope, just wanted to see what you were up to." He produced a cup of Jell-O and a plastic spoon from his BDU pocket. Stepping back so that she could turn to face him, he held the prize in front of her.

"You've been hunched over that doohickey for hours now. I thought you could use a snack." He pulled a diet Coke in a plastic bottle out of the other pocket. The smile on Sam's face as she took the offered gifts was nice. But when she leaned forward, still holding his hand that she'd been about to take the spoon from and kissed him he was delighted.

Jack's hands were full so he couldn't pull her any closer, but he still managed to deepen the kiss for a moment before she sighed and pulled away. "Hold that thought," she instructed, smiling at his chuckled agreement.

"So are we close enough to contact Daniel?" he asked. Sam started laughing at him fondly.

"You really are bored aren't you?" He didn't bother to deny it. "You know, I find it funny that you don't remember Daniel, but you still feel the need to pester him when bored just like you've done since I've known you." He considered what she'd said. She took a swig of the diet soda and continued.

"He said something about nature vs. nurture. I am guessing that it is simply in your nature to pick on Daniel." He was glad that he could amuse her, but he realized he was losing her attention. She'd put the soda down and been turning back and forth between him and her newest toy.

"Well, I'm just going to go and make that phone call Carter," he informed her with a quick kiss on her cheek before heading for Thor.

"I'll let you know what I find," she tossed at him over her shoulder. He figured it was more habit than anything else.

"You do that Carter," he agreed, walking away from her with a bounce in his step and a stupid grin on his face. The woman just made him happy. He could completely understand that ring hanging around her neck.

After getting the go ahead from Thor, Jack moved the stones on the Holophone and pushed the buttons to tell the computer to search for Daniel. When the indicator showed that Daniel's position had been located, it also showed that he was with two other people and that he was in the Alkesh. That couldn't be good. And who was the other person?

Adjusting the controls to allow his holographic image to materialize, Jack appeared in the back corner of the Alkesh, away from the pilot seats. He silently observed for a moment. Mitchell was at the controls and Daniel was standing behind his seat pointing a Zat gun at someone sitting in the other chair. "Wow, these things only come with two seats?" he observed, not showing any outwards signs of the amusement he got when Daniel and Cam both sort of jumped. The man in the chair spun his head around. Jack startled. It was Major Sheppard. The man had flown him a few times before this last trip.

"Colonel," Sheppard exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" Moving to stand near Daniel's position, Jack noticed that the Major was zip tied to the chair he was sitting in.

"Major," Jack acknowledged, before turning to Daniel. "So seems you and Mitchell have been busy." He left the sentence hanging.

"Ba'al's here." Well that explained a lot. Jack just nodded his head and sure enough Jackson started filling in the blanks fairly quickly. Between he and Mitchell, Jack had a pretty good picture of what had been happening while he'd been away.

"So you all are on your way to the weapons platform and you figure that kidnapping Sheppard is the best was to get someone with the gene to operate the chair?" Jack looked at the belligerent face of the major presently occupying the seat in front of him. "I'm not so sure that's going to work the way you're expecting," Jack pointed out. "Sheppard's pretty resourceful, I don't think I'd want him hostile when I handed him a big honking space gun."

"Listen to the man boys," Sheppard began, obviously relieved to have someone in his court. Then he stopped and looked at Jack. "Sir, you're see through."

"Not a good look?" Yep he was probably enjoying this way too much, Jack realized, making a small effort to tone down his amusement. But it was hard, for once he wasn't the one that was out of the loop with this whole alien space invaders thing and he was enjoying it. Besides Sheppard was a good officer, but cocky. It amused him to see the man confused.

"It's real Sheppard," Jack informed him seriously. "Whatever they've told you about Earth being in danger is real and they need your help. I'm ordering you to follow Colonel Mitchell's orders. Any questions?" Jack felt a presence at his back.

"Anything wrong Jack?" Sam's voice was concerned.

"Ba'al's fleet has arrived. Daniel and Mitchell have picked up Sheppard, but he is a little reluctant to believe what's he's being told.

"You've got to admit it's a little farfetched," Sheppard pointed out reasonably.

"Hello, nifty spaceship you're sitting in," Jackson shot back. Jack had to give him points for delivery. When Sam stepped up beside Jack on the platform so that she'd be visible to everyone on the ship, he shifted over, but didn't take his eyes off of Sheppard.

As the man caught sight of Carter, his eyes shot wide. Yeah, Jack smiled, he'd had the same reaction on the ice. "Ma'am?" Sheppard stammered. "Forgive the bluntness, but you're dead. I was part of the team that helped recover the shuttle's pieces and crew remains. I watched them pull your body from the ocean. It wasn't a pretty sight, but I recognized you."

"She's the Sam Carter from my timeline," Mitchell reasonably pointed out. "And we are 15 minutes out from the outpost," he informed nobody in particular.

"Ok, so I guess I'll have to believe you about aliens and timelines," Sheppard paused to look around the ship. "But you made my plane disappear, you kidnapped a US Air force Colonel..." he glanced at said Colonel. "Ok, well maybe you didn't kidnap exactly, but you hijacked his plane and my crew and put us on a deserted island. How do I know that I'm on the right side? How do I know that I'm not going to make things worse helping to destroy the ships you say are hostile? They haven't done anything hostile yet. I might be starting a war."

Jack was about to answer, but Sam's hand on his arm stopped him. "Daniel, untie him," she instructed. As Cam glanced sharply over his shoulder Jack noticed for the first time that his right cheek was swollen and his eye turning black. He and Sheppard must have gotten into it.

"You sure about that Sam?" Mitchell didn't sound happy, but Daniel was already moving to cut the plastic cuffs. Jackson didn't lower his weapon. He just stepped back out of Sheppard's range and waited. Jack was proud of him. For a scientist he had great instincts.

"John," Sam began. "In my timeline you and I work together in an alien outpost in another Galaxy. You are my second in command and I respect you immensely. I consider you a friend. If we can't be there to help Daniel and Cam keep Earth from falling into Ba'al's hands there is no one else I'd rather have working with them." She paused. Jack figured she'd lose Sheppard at 'alien outpost in another Galaxy', but the young officer seemed to still be listening.

"Ok, if that's the case then tell me something my friends would know that not everyone would." Sheppard sounded much calmer then he'd expected, Jack thought shifting on his heels and rocking forward impatiently. Sam was silent beside him for a moment before stepping to forward so that her image advanced on Sheppard.

"You love Ferris wheels, but you hate clowns." The man's eyes shot wide, but he nodded.

"Go on."

"You have a Johnny Cash poster in your quarters, but I never asked you about it. I'm assuming you like him. One of my scientists told me that you'd turned down a membership in Mensa. I know that you love to golf." Sam stopped, obviously looking for something that she knew that would convince him beyond question that she knew him well. Sheppard waited.

"I've got it!" Sam shouted excitedly. "We had a Captain come through that reminded you of your ex wife, Nancy, because she wouldn't let any of her food touch anything else on her plate and she scraped the fork across her plate constantly trying to make sure everything stayed in its place." Sam had his attention. "The rest of us just thought she was a little OCD, but you would almost pick up your tray and leave the mess when she'd show up. You actually cringed just about like you're doing now every time she picked up a plate."

"Ok," Sheppard agreed, taking a step to stand way too close to Sam for Jack's liking. "I believe you, but answer me one last question." Sam nodded for the man to continue. "Was there ever anything between us, I mean what were you doing in my quarters on this alien outpost?" Jack had wondered that for a brief second before dismissing it. The woman at his side loved him, either version of him, way too much to worry that she'd been unfaithful to the other him with Sheppard.

"I was in your quarters trying to give you a pep talk after you blamed yourself for the loss of one of the people on your team. We later recovered her, but you took her abduction hard. There was never anything between us but respect and friendship." Sam's voice was kind with remembered pain shared.

"Ok, so we've got that all settled now." Jack broke the moment between the two officers. "Go and help these people kick some alien ass Major, that's an order."

"Yes sir." Sheppard still sounded dubious, but he was on board. "You can put the phaser down now Jackson, I'm not going to hit either of you again." Daniel looked to Jack. He nodded, hoping he had a good read on the Major. Sheppard was known for not following orders when he didn't agree with them. He relaxed when the officer in question settled back into the seat he was no longer tied to.

"We got it from here guys," Jackson informed them. "How's it going there?"

"We've got what we need and have figured out where the changes to the timeline originated. We are on our way there. ETA approximately 48 hours," Sam told him. They exchanged a little more information and good luck wishes were traded, before they cut the connection.

Jack turned to Sam as she made her way back to the table. "That's sobering to know that our world is being attacked and we're out here. Can they hold off an entire fleet with what is down in that Ancient outpost?" Sam stopped working and focused on him.

"They can do it," she assured him. "We discovered that outpost when another of Ba'al's kind, Anubis, tried to attack. We took out an entire fleet with you sitting in that chair. That's how you ended up frozen in stasis down there. You were willing to give your life for all of us once again." Jack was surprised to realize that Sam was fighting for control. Her emotions were written all over her face and they were tearing her apart.

"God Sam, what's wrong baby?" he asked, instinctually taking her into his arms. She came willingly for a moment and then straightened and pushed back from him. "You said that they can do this." He was confused. "If they have the tools that all of you have led me to believe then you're right, they'll be able to defend this world," he offered, trying to comfort her. "I have every faith in you Carter. This plan is going to work and if we run into problems there is always plan B," he joked, really at a loss now. His words seemed to be upsetting her more than comforting her.

Sam didn't answer him, just turned her back on him and steadied herself. He could see the fight she was having to maintain control and he didn't know how to help. "God Sam, honey, help me out here. What is it? Did you find something new? Is plan A already shot?" That did it, she lost it. The tears were flowing and he would bet his bottom dollar this woman didn't cry often and probably would prefer to be shot then to be falling apart in front of him or anyone else.

Taking a step forward, Jack pulled her back against him. She didn't seem to want to face him so he held her back against his chest, wrapped his arms around her, and leaned down to place his lips against her ear. "Tell me what is going on in that super genius brain of yours. You got me at a loss here and I need to understand to be able to help you." He didn't think she was going to answer him for a few minutes. She seemed to pull herself together enough to turn in his arms and face him.

"I'm sorry," she told him, dashing the tear out of her eyes with the side of her hand. "I stood by in Antarctica, when you saved us all, and I watched you step into that stasis chamber. I didn't know if we'd be able to get to Thor in time to save you, or even how long the pod would sustain your life, but there was hope. I went on, we got you back." She took a deep breath and for the first time since she'd turned to him. "Jack I couldn't save you when Ba'al stabbed you and I'm not going to be able to save you now." The tears were running freely down her face.

He didn't know what to say. Her grief was for him. The him she'd lost and was going to get back and the him standing right in front of her. His heart melted and broke all at the same time. "There's no other way this can go down Sam, you know that and I know that." He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her lightly on the lips. He wanted to reassure her, but there really wasn't anything he could say.

"What if Charlie is right?" Her tears had slowed as she fought to get herself under control again. He didn't know how to let her know it was okay to fall apart with him. He'd done his own falling apart this morning.

"Right about what?" he was confused.

"What if I'm not doing enough to save you?" She looked at him with such distress he didn't know what to do. "I keep failing you Jack."

"Oh God Sam, you aren't failing me. You're trying to save my son. You have no idea what that means to me." He could see that she wasn't going to allow that fact to offer her much comfort. He thought for a moment before turning her face to his and lowering himself down to make sure their eyes met and held. "Look me in the eyes and tell me the truth Sam," he instructed. At her nod he continued. "When you look at me do you see me and your Jack? Do you mean what you say when you tell me that we're the same person with changes based on the changes in the timeline, nothing more?"

"Yes," she replied without hesitation. "I see differences, but they almost all seem to stem from you having your son alive. The man I see is the one that I've always loved." He smiled at that and gave her a quick kiss. He wanted very much to continue the kiss, but what she was saying was too important.

"And would you rather me forget what has happened between us since we met in this timeline or remember?" He saw realization in her eyes. He figured she was too smart to not see the point he was coming to before he actually got there.

"I want you to remember, Jack," she confirmed sincerely. "I wish that you'd remember everything between us, both now and from before the timeline changed and I'd want you to remember your son." He felt his own heart constrict at her declaration. He wanted those things so badly he could taste them. It was hard not to be bitter about it, but he refused to waste the last bit of time he had with his son and with the amazing woman in front of him.

"I know that Sam. I know that you would do whatever you had to if you thought there was even a slight chance of saving me, but anything you try has a big chance of killing me, both sides of me. I don't want you to take that chance. Charlie has to have someone in your timeline." He paused, unsure how to say the next part.

"I saw how torn up you were when you walked off that ice. I saw what seeing me did to you and when I rejected you..." he could still see her face. "When I rejected you, I will never forget the look in your eyes. It was like I just shot you. It's one of the reasons I got out of there so quickly." She smiled a little at his admission.

"I want me there for you too, Sam. Even if it isn't the me that remembers all this, at least I will know that I'm going to be there to take care of you and Charlie. I don't want to take any chances with that so I'm ordering you not to do anything that might put that in jeopardy. I'm ordering you to leave this alone and get on with the mission." I'm ordering you to not feel bad about the me I am right now being dead, he thought, but didn't say.

"Jack," Sam broke into his thoughts. "You can't order me not to feel bad about not being able to save you." How did she do that, he thought, dropping his own eyes away from her. "It does make me feel better that you know I would change things if I could." She leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him. The hug felt good, but he felt death sneaking up on him again and it obviously had her thoughts in its grip.

"Can you take a break?" he inquired.

"I'm actually at a good stopping point," she answered, not even glancing back at the device that had been occupying the last few hours of her time. "Why?"

"Well, its like this Carter, Thor was talking about how he'd been able to make the hanger bay safe for Charlie to fly. I sort of asked a few questions and..."

"Jack, are you blushing?" Her voice sounded amazed and amused.

"No!" he defended. At least he hoped he wasn't. "I asked Thor to turn the gravity off in that first supply room beside the shuttle bay. Little guy didn't even ask why. See you're not the only one with a history with another timeline you." She blinked at that statement, but he trusted that she'd get what he was saying.

"The me in this time and you?" She caught on fast, "But you said you didn't know me."

"Well, not personally, I didn't, but I met you." He proceeded to tell her all about how her falling on him had saved Charlie and how he and Daniel had figured it out, but he just hadn't had time to tell her yet. She looked at him, astonished at the revelation.

"The odds on that have to be astronomical. There must be a common factor in timelines that pulled us together like that. I'll have to study..."

"Carter!" He waited until she blinked up at him. He was starting to recognize her face when she came back to earth after her brain had taken a sudden stop to look at some shinny scientific thought. "The point being is that I never told anyone the real reason that I hadn't been quick enough to keep you from falling at all."

She was looking at him expectantly. "I had been staring at your ass and thinking about how you were going to be an astronaut and how much I'd like to play with you in zero gravity." Her eyebrows were climbing into her hair, but she didn't interrupt. "Of course I was married so I wouldn't have said anything, but I never did quite get the picture of you and me naked floating around the back of the shuttle together out of my head."

"Oh." She was smiling now. Mission accomplished, even if he'd had to admit something embarrassing to her. "So you want to go and play astronaut in zero g's in a storage closest?"

He smiled and pulled her to him. "What do you say Ma'am, can I escort you to your shuttle?"

Sam chuckled but recovered quickly. "Of course Colonel, I warn you though. I may need your help with a particularly tricky experiment. Do you think you can handle that assignment?"

"I'd be glad to help in any way I can. Anything for my country," he pointed out. Jack laced his fingers in Sam's hand and pulled her toward the storage room that was going to double as the Shuttle for them. He could feel death letting go again. He was holding on to life right beside him and he was about to get a chance to live out a fantasy he'd had for years. It was all good, if he could just figure out how to walk with his pants suddenly so tight.


	32. Weightless

Chapter 32 - Weightless

Sam smiled as her breathing slowly returned to normal. She glanced over at the man floating beside her. His face was as relaxed and at ease as she felt. "That was different," she considered out loud.

"Hard to get much leverage," he commented. "Zero G sex does take a bit more dedication to one's objective." She could hear the smile in his voice without turning her head. She and Jack were still naked and floating around their makeshift shuttle cargo bay. They'd been playing for the better part of an hour and Sam was pleasantly sated.

"Next time I will try to hold on better," Jack promised as he turned his head toward her. "I've never shot someone across a room with one thrust. I'm glad you are as athletic as you are."

"Or things would have been over and I'd have been lying in a healing pod with a concussion," she agreed, laughing out loud at the remembered incident. The logistics were certainly different. They floated around, lazily pushing off one wall or another before finally coming to rest in the center of the room.

"I guess we'd better get ready and get out of here before Charlie comes looking for one of us," Jack commented. He pushed off the wall and grabbed her hand at the same time, taking her with him toward the other end of the room. Reaching the two control crystals on the wall that Thor had set up to control the level of weightlessness, Jack slowly brought the gravity back to about ¾ of normal, Sam estimated. She assumed that he was trying to give them a soft landing.

A sock landing on her shoulder brought Sam back to the present. She looked around to see clothes that had been floating gently raining down around them. Sam reached for her underwear as it was about to settle on Jack's head. She wasn't sure why she found it so funny to see the bit of pink and black cotton about to perch itself across his spiky grey hair, but she couldn't seem to curb the chuckles that were fast becoming uncontrollable.

Jack caught her hand as she snatched the offending garment from above him and examined it. "Funny Carter," his tone was dry, but his eyes were bright with laughter. She couldn't resist. She used her free hand to pull herself against him and kiss his smile. She'd meant the kiss to be light but Jack pulled her against him and deepened the kiss as he took a few steps toward the wall, carrying her with him. He didn't stop until he had her pressed between the cool metal of the wall and his unyielding frame.

"Mmmmm gravity," he intoned against her lips, between kisses. Yep, no gravity had been fun, but there was something to be said for the right amount of leverage. Sam shivered as much in delight at the sensations running through her as from the temperature of the wall on her back.

She was surprised when she realized that his kiss was becoming demanding. She could feel his body hardening against hers again, but there was a desperation to his kisses. With a start, the realization that this was probably their last time together like this hit her. Sam tried to hold back the sob that fought to be released. The possibility of one of them dying was almost a given with what they did for a living, but this time was different. Success meant that the man kissing her, warming her body and her heart, was going to cease to exist. They both knew it. She wasn't ready to let go yet. She wasn't ready to forget him.

The sob that she'd been trying to prevent escaped in a choked gasp. Jack pulled back for a moment and met her eyes. She could see her pain reflected back at her. She was about to speak, to offer him empty words she hoped would bring them both some comfort when Jack unexpectedly lifted her up and impaled her on his hardened length. She moaned and wrapped her legs around his waist. "Good girl." His voice was rough with emotion.

Jack took another step into the wall so that she was supported and he could free his hands from her hips. The light gravity was making the movement easier. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even closer. It was as if he wanted to absorb her into his skin. She knew he was feeling the same cold dread she was. She fought to push it back. She didn't want to waste the last time she'd remember being in his arms.

Jack wouldn't leave her mouth for long. It was as if he didn't want her to talk, was scared what she might say. He shifted his hips at the same time as he enfolded her in his arms. She let out a groan as he slid impossibly further into her and lodged so deep that every thrust rubbed across her G-spot, driving her high and sending sensation racing across her nerve endings. This was supposed to be how things were. Surrounded both inside and out by the man she loved. It wasn't fair that they had to give up these memories or any part of all the ones lost in Ba'al's time shift.

The pain raced through her even as her orgasm came closer. She fought to push it back, clinging to Jack even tighter. "Where'd you go Samantha?" he asked, slowing his thrusts and pulling his upper body back. When his gaze met hers, she saw the same knowledge in his and knew he recognized it in her. He searched her eyes for a moment.

"Don't let me go Jack," she pleaded, knowing it wasn't a pledge he could give her. I don't want to lose any part of you, she thought. She bit back the words. They wouldn't help them. Jack didn't say anything. He remained still, fighting for his own control. She closed her eyes and pressed her face into his hands when he brought them up to cup her cheeks. There was so much love shining out through his intense chocolate gaze. He just held her, never breaking eye contact as he rolled his hips without withdrawing.

"I'm a part of you Samantha," he said rolling his hips again. She gasped. He was so deeply imbedded in her. He was not withdrawing as he rolled his hips, but he was still moving inside her. Jack's swollen head and pulsing shaft was stroking her contracting wet passage so thoroughly that she didn't know where he stopped and where she began. "You won't ever lose me Sam, not possible," he told her. "You just might have to remind me what a kinky lady you are all over again."

Except that she wouldn't remember either, but she didn't point that out to him. She was pressed so tightly against him with the wall behind her that she couldn't add to the movement, so she did the next best thing and began to clench the muscles of her sheath, massaging Jack's hard pounding body even as he stroked her insides. "Oh God, Sam," he cried out.

Jack slid his hand into the hair at the nape of her neck and pulled her into a kiss. Both of them moaned as their tongues met. He rolled his hips one more time using his other hand to reach under her and add just a little more twist to his thrust. The world broke apart for her. Everything shifted. Jack left her mouth and pulled back to stare into her eyes. "Always," he groaned as he too shattered. Surrounded and filled by him, his eyes never left hers. She felt like their souls had mingled. That they'd broken apart as two people and come back to earth as one.

They continued to cling to each other as their hearts slowed and they came back to themselves. Neither of them wanted to let go. She was still wrapped around him as he took a step back to allow her the room to slide her feet back to the floor. Jack's arms slid around her back and pressed her close. He held the contact and that was just fine with her. The more of her pressed against him for safe keeping the better.

"Well, we have a universe to save," he offered, not quite able to get the jovial tone she knew he was going for. She pretended not to notice as she released him and took a step back. Sam was surprised to see the bright wateriness of his eyes, but she fought to keep her tone light as well. There wasn't anything that they could do, but their jobs. They'd had their goodbye.

"First time you can remember uttering those words," she commented as he released her completely and turned to start rummaging through the clothes that littered the ground. She joined him in the scavenger hunt. Walking around the room, they each picked up articles as they came to them. It didn't take long to swap around items until they were both dressed.

"I bet those words just never get old," he guessed, coming up behind her as she straightened her belt and reached for her hair. Sam's heart leapt when Jack brushed aside her hands and used his own to fingers comb the strands into some semblance of order. "I found a picture in my drawer of you with shorter hair. You were adorable, but I think I like long better," he finished, placing a kiss on her neck before allowing the strands to fall back in place.

"Adorable?" That wasn't an adjective used to describe her since she was five. She turned to him, amused at the innocent look plastered on his face.

"As a button," he agreed, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He draped an arm around her shoulders and turned them both towards the door. Sam chuckled and slid her arm around his waist. She wasn't used to the open shows of affection, but she could get into the spirit. He was helping her lock away her pain as he was doing with his own. They had a job to do, his son to save along with that universe he'd mentioned. There simply were no other options.

***

When Jack and Sam entered the bridge, Jack wasn't surprised at all to see Thor waiting for them. The little alien looked worn out. His normally unlined face looked drawn. The pink undertones that normally peeked out from the grey were gone. Had he gotten any rest since they'd gotten back from Atlantis? Jack couldn't remember, but he made a mental note to watch the little guy a bit more closely.

"I have finished converting the information received from monitoring the area around Ba'al's device into usable data for you," Thor was telling Sam. She looked like a kid in a candy store as she took her place beside the commander. Jack could tell he'd lost both of them to the readouts they were now studying. He had no doubt that they would find the information that they needed.

"I'm going to bring you back something to eat Carter," he told her, surprised when she stopped and smiled her thank you to him. "Have you eaten Thor?" he inquired, feeling a little strange about policing the Asgard's health, but feeling it might be necessary.

"I am fine O'Neill." Thor's tone was distracted. Jack didn't like the fatigue he heard in the alien's tone.

"If you get sick who'll drive the ship?" he asked, really feeling like he was pushing it now. Sam stopped and really studied the being beside her for a moment.

"He's right Thor," she agreed. "You look really worn out. You've been at the computer since we got back from Atlantis and the DeLorean Detector was able to tell you where to look for the origination of the time distortion, but we don't want you sick." To Jack's surprise, Thor bowed his head slightly and reached over to press a control to his far left. A light appeared, depositing little colored cubes next to Thor's console.

"You are right," he conceded. "I would be no good to you if I become ill. I will eat as we work." Jack nodded at the commander and headed off the bridge. Well that was a new one for him. He'd never mother-henned an alien before.

Jack stepped out into the hall and headed for the hanger bay. He wanted to do a couple of things before he went to check on Charlie and then headed back to the bridge with Sam's lunch. He was glad his son was getting some sleep. The boy had barely rested since they'd beamed him on board.

He had no trouble finding the hanger bay. He was getting very familiar with his namesake. I have an alien spacecraft named after me. He smiled for a moment but then realized he was on dangerous ground. That thought was going to lead to other dark ones, so he pushed it aside as he walked around the corner to where the jumper was stored. Jack slowed his pace as he realized that there was someone in the jumper.

Quietly approaching, he folded his arms across his chest and watched his son at work. There were all kinds of schematics and data running across the heads up display of the craft. A part of Jack was amazed and impressed, but another was busy sending up red flags. While it was obvious he'd been working hard on the controls, Jack knew his son was up to something.

He watched for a few more minutes, unable to read the words from the distance he was at, but able to see the schematics. His chest was tight. Was his son a danger to their mission? "So whatcha you doing?" he questioned casually. Charlie's guilty jump didn't sit well with him or the fact that the heads up display vanished. Had the young man simply broken the connection when he'd jumped or had he not wanted anyone to see what he was working on?

"What are you doing here Dad?" Charlie's voice was a little higher pitched than normal. Pushing off the wall, Jack moved to sit down in other cockpit seat. He didn't say anything, just let the tension in the room build. Charlie was just like his mom in that respect. He'd usually start trying to fill the silence and the next thing you know, he'd slipped up and told on himself.

"Dad?" the boy questioned. Ok, well they'd taught him a little more control in the Academy. Jack was going to have to push further.

"I was just sitting here wondering what you're up to son." Jack decided to try another tactic. "Too many things are adding up. I don't have time for a song and dance, young man, I want the truth." Charlie's face registered surprise before he tried to school his features, but Jack had been reading his son for way too long for that mask to work. Jack's frustration level was already high. He could feel his anger racing toward the surface. "I'm not going to ask you again Charles Tyler O'Neill," he warned.

"I've been doing research Dad." The words tumbled out. Well they were getting somewhere, but Jack was fairly sure he wasn't going to like where. Charlie's voice had the ring of truth to it. "I wasn't lying when I said I wanted to make sure that if you needed me I could fly the jumper. I've been studying its systems after Thor adjusted the readouts so that I could read them. I do want to make sure that I can help if you need me when this all goes down, but you're right. That wasn't the only thing I was doing." Charlie paused and collected himself. Jack could tell that he was trying to hold it together.

"I've been looking for a way to save you..."

"We've been through this Charlie." Jack snapped, frustration making him unable to keep the impatience out of his voice. He was at the end of his rope dealing with his own feelings about his impending semi-death. Taking a breath, he ran a hand through his hair and scrubbed it across his face. Of course Charlie would try to take responsibility for something way out of his control and fix it. He was his father's son after all.

"There isn't any other way that this can go down Charlie. Sam would do whatever she could to change things. You've got to believe me on that." His trust in Sam was too personal, too intimate. He wasn't going into their relationship with his son, but he wanted to offer some reassurance.

"I had to know for myself Dad," Charlie stated heavily. "She was right. If we try to save you we could kill you and the other you." The younger O'Neill's shoulders slumped in defeat. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you what I was doing, but I'd never have forgiven myself if I hadn't tried. God Dad, I'm sorry I can't do anything to help you."

"Come here," Jack leaned across the console and pulled his boy to him. His heart leapt with pride, gratitude, and grief all at once. His son had fought to save him. He'd unraveled alien technology to do it. Jack hugged Charlie and ran a hand into his hair when the boy allowed himself to rest against his father's shoulder. It had been a long time since Charlie had allowed his father to comfort him like this. Jack was so proud of the man he'd become, but sometimes he missed the boy that needed him so much. "I can't say I like what is happening, but I've come to terms with it son."

Jack released Charlie and sat back. "This is bigger than all of us. I'm ok Charlie. Just knowing that you and Sam are going to be safe on the other side of this is enough for me. I promise."

"You really love her don't you?" Jack allowed Charlie to change the subject to safer waters.

"I do," he stated simply. It felt right to confirm his feelings for her to his son. "And there is something that you can do for me." After Jack explained to Charlie what he needed, Charlie set about looking through the jumper's systems. He was surprised again at the young officer's prowess with the ship. His boy was a dedicated, loyal, and smart, everything that Jack could have hoped for and more.

The search took them about 20 minutes, but they found what Jack needed and Charlie showed him how to use it and then left. Jack felt better. He'd recorded messages to Charlie, to his other self, and to Sam. All he had to do now was get Thor to download them to his own computer and give them to everyone after the timeline was changed back.

Just as Jack stood up from the jumper seat, the intercom of the O'Neill came to life. "O'Neill, Charles," Thor's voice intoned. "Please come to the bridge." Jack wasted no time in getting there.

When he arrived, everyone was already there. Jack's attention was caught by the view they were looking at. The screen showed what looked like a giant rotating space station in orbit around a small moon type planet.

Sam looked up as he came to stand beside her. "That's it. That's the device that Ba'al used and Thor and I have figured out how to fix the timeline. It shouldn't even be that hard." Her face was bright with the knowledge that they were going to be able to do what they'd set out to do.

"Sweet," Jack declared, keeping his voice light. "What now?"


	33. A Stitch in Time

Chapter 33

"So what you're saying here Carter is that if we destroy that thing," he pointed out the window at the station filling the view screen. "If we destroy it here then it is destroyed all through time as if it never existed and the timeline will be reset?" He pinched the bridge of his nose to lessen the headache that was forming.

"Seems so," she confirmed. "Apparently the way that it was built the station exists in time and out of it." He could see her warming to her subject and inwardly cringed. He was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed by all the information she'd been throwing at him. He wondered briefly if his other self understood this stuff any better. Dismissing that morbid thought, he glanced at Charlie. His boy didn't seem confused at all, he thought with pride.

"There are several ways to access time and effect changes." Thor took up the conversation. "The most basic is prediction of sunspots. That function is used by the station to calibrate itself and its position in time and space. I do not believe that this function was intended to be used to actually travel in time, but to calibrate the position of the station when time travel was desired."

He could feel his eyes glazing over when Sam took pity on him. "Basically, Jack," she began, "Ba'al didn't use the part of the station actually designed for time travel. He used the portion of the machine that calibrates the station's relative position in time and space by tracking sunspots. He probably didn't check to see if there was any other function." She considered for a moment. He could see her brain working behind her eyes. Jack felt a burst of male pride. He marveled again that such an intelligent, beautiful woman could love him.

"If he had used the machine correctly then it would have changed the timeline completely. It wouldn't have mattered that SG1 was in an active wormhole and I don't believe that we would have the total wave collapse that we see happening now." She was already shutting down the station that she was standing at.

"So Ba'al messed up how he used the machine and that is why his changes caused so much damage?" Charlie spoke for the first time. He had been listening intently.

"That's correct." Sam seemed pleased that she'd gotten her point across. "After studying the device we are not sure how or why it was created, but it is very, very old and could be Ancient. It seems to exist through time and outside of time simultaneously."

"I have confirmed the duality of the device's existence, but I do not understand how it is possible." Thor's voice was perplexed. He had finished most of the colored food cubes next to him and was no longer working at his console. He was resting all the way back in his chair. Jack thought he looked mentally and physically exhausted. It couldn't be a good sign if the big brained alien couldn't understand how something worked.

"While we do not understand how the device works, we have determined that the nature of the device will make it quite easy to destroy. The shielding around the station has been deactivated from the inside, most likely by Ba'al." Thor finished.

"We are guessing that Ba'al must have found a way on the station and deactivated the shields to allow himself to come and go as he pleased. This station is in such a remote part of space that there wouldn't be any reason for anyone to be here. He must have thought it would be fairly safe."

Jack listened to the rapid fire explanations. The whole thing seemed simple enough to him, but he had some questions of his own. "Anything on Thor's ship will be protected by his shields and will not be changed by anything we do to set the timeline back?"

Sam frowned. "That's right," she confirmed. "That is why you and I will take the jumper outside of the shields and watch from there. As soon as Thor destroys the device he will bring Charlie to the Tokra home world where we should be attending the ceremony." With no memory of any of this time together or of Charlie himself, he thought locking away the grief he felt at that thought. He wasn't surprised when Sam's voice only betrayed the slightest catch. He knew she was hurting too, but she would do her job. He was so proud of her and so humbled by her at the same time.

"That's what I thought." He turned to Thor. "Thor, buddy, could you download a couple files I just placed in the jumper's computer? I would like you to give them to myself, Sam, and Charlie after we've set everything right again. Each file is marked with their name."

"Dad," Charlie's voice sounded choked and small.

"It's ok Charlie." He turned and pulled his son into his arms and just held on for a while. He wasn't sure if he was holding on for himself or the man in his arms. Jack finally collected himself and allowed his son out of his embrace. "It doesn't matter whether I saw you grow up or not Charlie. I will always know you and love you." The young man before him didn't look convinced, but was trying to put on a brave face.

"I have downloaded all files recorded by you since you brought the jumper on board." Thor's voice helped to break the moment and keep him from breaking down. He was a strong man and had been through things in his life that he never should have survived, but this was almost more than he could bear. "Thanks buddy," he didn't know what to say beyond that. Goodbye was never his thing. He hoped his friend understood. "Ok, then we should get going."

Sam had stepped away from her console as well. She hugged Thor. "Thank you," she told him.

"You are welcome Samantha." The little alien returned her hug.

"Samantha," she said sadly. "Keep calling me that Thor. You and I have been friends for a long time."

"We have indeed," he agreed sagely. Jack could swear the little guy was blinking more than normal.

Sam turned to Charlie. She handed him a neatly folded paper. "Would you mind giving this to me next time we meet?" she asked him. Charlie reached for her and pulled her into a hug. She seemed surprised, but returned his hug. "Thank you Sam. You've taught me so much," he told her. Jack felt his throat clench. Charlie accepted the note from Sam and put it in his pocket.

"I'll see you soon Charlie," she told him. "Don't worry," she told the young man before turning back to Jack.

"Time to go," he agreed and stepped back to allow her to take the lead. As soon as they stepped into the hall, Jack gave in to his need to touch her and took her hand. He never considered himself a hand holding sort of guy, but he needed the connection and judging by the grip she had on him, she needed it too.

***

Sam had never felt so close to losing it in her life. There was always a chance, but not this time. And if there was a chance for this version of the man that she loved then it would doom the other.

"Get out of your head Carter," Jack told her gripping her hand tighter. "Plan's simple enough. We fly out, watch Thor destroy Ba'al's toy and then everything goes back to the way it was except Thor and Charlie. It saves my son and the whole universe and you only lose a month or so of memories."

She could tell he was trying to keep her as upbeat as possible, but it wasn't working. She just nodded her head as they entered the hanger bay and took their seats in the jumper. Thor's voice came across the speakers telling them to launch. Jack smoothly took the jumper out into space and a safe distance from the station. They wouldn't want to get blown up before they could be wiped out of existence, she thought morosely.

"This looks like a good enough place," Jack decided, releasing the controls and turning in his seat. "Sam," he said, holding open his arms to her.

Sam got up from her seat and moved around the controls. She needed to be near him as well. When Jack reached for her and drew her down across his lap, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on, closing her eyes and pressing her face against him. "I love you," she told him, shivering when he kissed her neck and pulled her tighter against him.

"Did you notice that I left a note for myself?" he asked. "I made sure to give myself a few directions when it comes to you." Sam started chuckling despite herself. She picked her head up from his shoulder, intending to kiss him, when a light on the control console caught her attention. She stiffened in surprise.

"What is it Sam?" Jack turned the chair as she was climbing from his lap.

"The shielding is up," she said in surprise. "If Thor fires now we will be protected from the changes just like his ship is." And they would die and probably cause the deaths of their other selves as well. Jack was already working the controls to drop the shielding.

"Something's wrong," he informed her, keeping his voice deadly calm. "I can't drop shielding." He played with the controls for a while longer. "I can't do anything, even communications is out."

That wasn't possible. Sam felt a chill go through her bone deep. She got up and started pulling open panels in the rear. This was a very specific malfunction to happen, she thought suspiciously. "I don't understand." Nothing looked fried or even slightly damaged. "It isn't in the controls." She closed her eyes as a thought raced through her.

"Charlie," Jack stated at the same time, their voices matching as if they'd rehearsed it. "He was tinkering in here last night, but I can't believe he would have known how to do any of this." Jack went on. Sam turned back and watched for the weapon's fire from Thor's ship that would spell death for them. Where would be the mostly likely place for him to have tampered with the command lines?

"He has the gene as strongly as you do Jack," she pointed out absently as she considered and dismissed where the best place to start looking might be. "For someone with the gene all you have to do is ask and the jumper's computer will tell you now to do almost anything. The protection of the ATA gene is all the Ancients seemed to think they needed. Given enough time, the ship would have walked him through anything he wanted to do."

"And we gave him more than enough time." Jack was busy looking through screens. Charlie hadn't been stupid about it when he'd shut down all non-essential computer systems. They couldn't even repeat what he'd done and ask the computer for help. They could only look through manually and only because that was an essential system tied to life support. Sam joined him. She made a few suggestion on what files to look in. If they could find the command that the boy had used... "He's smart," Sam said as the thought occurred to her again. "He shut down all systems that could help us."

"I can't even restart the engines. As soon as we came to a halt everything shut down and the shields came up."

They both looked up from the controls as the screen lit up with fire from Thor's ship. Sam read faster, as close to panic as she'd ever been. It was rare she felt so helpless. Why hadn't Charlie believed her when she'd told him that it wasn't as easy as keeping her and Jack shielded. Why hadn't she seen that his acceptance had been too easy, she berated herself even as she kept reading.

If Thor fired before they got the shields down, she and Jack would die, but that wasn't the worst of it. Their simultaneous existence might cause the same type of damage in the time space continuum as they were dealing with now. If they had done all of this for nothing and the total wave failure started over again because of Charlie's actions there would be no way to stop it. "I found it!" Jack shouted, moving his hands across the controls. Sam looked up at his shout, feeling her stomach drop. Thor had chosen that moment to fire.

She didn't know what to expect as the station exploded under the Asgard weapons fire at the exact same moment Jack announced he was dropping the force field. The debris spread out in a show of fireworks. For a moment nothing happened. Then Jack groaned and gripped the side of the chair.

"Sam!" he screamed as he clutched his head in pain and flipped backward out of the chair, hitting the floor. She barely had time to reach out a hand before the pain hit her too, forcing her to her knees. It was more than pain. Her body lurched as if being pulled apart by a million different forces. Then the feeling of being ripped apart changed. She felt her insides twist. She felt as if force fields were trying to compress her into a single point much too small for her body to fit into. She thrashed against the pain, rolling on the floor, knowing that they hadn't dropped the shield in time. The pressure was excruciating. She fought but finally gave into the darkness.


	34. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for coming along on my little adventure. I have really enjoyed the company!!!

Chapter 34

Sam became aware slowly. She felt as if her brain had been fried and her body beaten to a pulp. She couldn't open her eyes, wasn't sure if she was even still alive. What had happened? Memories started flooding in. There'd been an unreal amount of pain and then blackness had engulfed her.

As if from a distance, Sam felt hands on her and then nothing as the blackness threatened to take her again. She fought against it. Where was Jack? "Samantha Carter." Was that Teal'c's voice? She couldn't open her eyes. God she felt like she'd been beaten up by a couple squads of Ba'al's Jaffa. "I believe that she is regaining consciousness Daniel Jackson." That was definitely Teal'c. She fought to open her eyes.

"Did O'Neill regain consciousness as well?" he was asking someone.

"Not yet. He's barely breathing." That was Daniel's voice. "Cam should be back with the medical team any moment."

"Teal'c." She fought to find her voice, surprised at how weak she sounded. She'd survived, she thought beginning to remember the last minutes in the jumper. From the sounds and the people around her, they were back in the hall where Ba'al was to be extracted. Somehow she'd survived, but what about Jack? Her memories, who she was, belonged to this timeline more so then they belonged in the other. Jack was another story.

"Jack?" she asked. Sam fought harder to push the weakness away. She needed to know what had happened.

"Sam, oh thank god. What happened?" Vala's voice rang in her ears. She allowed Teal'c to help her sit up. "You and the General just hit the ground and started thrashing and blinking." Vala rushed on. "Your whole body was blinking in and out, well sort of. You never went away, but sometimes it was like there was a ghost of you over top you..."

"He's coming around," Daniel interrupted. Teal'c helped her turn around to where her friend bent over Jack's body. The throng of people around them felt oppressive, but she pushed that awareness away.

"Jack," she called his name as his eyes fluttered.

"Isn't it usually Sir in public?" he choked out, his attempt at humor lost by his scratchy, barely audible voice. Sam felt relief and pain at the same time. It was her general and she was so grateful to hear him and feel him near that she felt a tear roll down her face in relief, but at the same time the thought of never again playing with the lighter side she'd lived with these past weeks tore a hole in her heart. She barely suppressed the tears that threatened. She felt so torn, relief and grief splitting her heart in two.

There were questions flowing around them, but she didn't hear them. Jack was in the process of sitting up. "I'm going to skin that kid alive," he muttered as he allowed Daniel to help him upright. Did he say kid? She felt her heart lurch in another direction. She couldn't bear to lose her General either.

Sam's heart lurched as she pulled his attention to her. "What did you say?" Was it possible that she'd misread him. Which Jack was she talking to? It was a miracle that either of them were alive, she told herself, trying to prepare for his answer. She should be grateful she had either of them, but to lose the man that remembered their lifetime together and had placed the ring on her finger...

He smiled at her carefully, making it obvious his head still throbbed. "It's me Sam," he told her. She didn't know which me he meant. Her look must have conveyed her confusion. "All of me, colonel and general all at once," he clarified. How was that possible? She froze, her mind unable to accept what he was telling her. When she didn't answer him, Jack reached for her, ignoring the questions being thrown at them. He seemed oblivious to the strange looks when he cupped her face in his calloused hands and turned her face fully to his.

"God Sam, I almost killed you." His face contorted in pain at the thought. "My son almost killed both of us." He stopped, blanching white at the thoughts running through us. "He shot himself with my gun." She could see him taking stock of all that he'd lived and trying to balance the conflicting memories. What she didn't see in him or feel in him was the usual reserve he demonstrated around her. It began to hit her. He somehow remembered both timelines. Had the shield dropped at the exact right moment to somehow make the impossible, possible? They'd seen stranger things. She held her breath, hardly daring to hope.

"What happened, Sam?" He was asking her. "I thought this wasn't possible. I thought there wasn't any way for me to be both of me." She was as confused as he was. "Sam?" He questioned her again. "Do you remember?" He seemed unsure now. Sam pulled her mind from the questions racing through her brain. Jack needed her. She reached to grip his forearms. "I'm me Jack, I remember everything."

Jack just looked at her for a moment in relief." "Thank God," he whispered before leaning in and pressing his lips to hers. The kiss was full of relief. She returned it, grateful for him comfort. She wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed him to deepen the kiss.

"Guys," Daniel's voice interrupted, but she only dimly heard him.

"Ah, guys," Daniel had the worst timing, wait... Daniel! Sam suddenly realized where they were as Jack jumped and the broke apart. They'd apparently gotten more comfortable with shows of affection while in the other timeline then she'd realized.

"I don't know what happened," she pointed out, trying to cover her embarrassment. "Us having both our memories shouldn't be possible, but then again I told you I wasn't sure what would happen."

"Not to mention the curve ball Charlie threw at us." Jack must have been a little embarrassed. He had actually backed up a little from her, but hadn't put much distance between them. Her general never would have felt comfortable enough to forget the audience and kiss her like that and she never would have responded so freely. Wow, the changes in them both were going to take some getting used to.

"Guys," Daniel raised his voice a little more forcefully, pulling her attention back to the present. She tried to see what Daniel was pointing at and looking so confused about.

She wasn't sure what Daniel was pointing at. "Dad?" The tentative quality of Charlie's voice cut through everything else. Sam watched Jack still before he pulled himself together and got to his feet. She was surprised when he reached a hand down to her and pulled her to her feet. The hand he laid on the small of her back felt natural and strange at the same time, but she allowed him to guide her with him to his son. Thor stood off to one side, answering Teal'c's questions, before the big Jaffa nodded sagely and moved to stand near his friends.

Jack didn't say a word. He dropped his hand from her back and reached out to cup the back of his son's neck. He stared into the young man's eyes for a moment before pulling him into his arms and holding on tight. Sam smiled at the scene and took a step away. She found Thor and stood beside him. The room was quiet as everyone watched the normally private general embrace the young man Thor had brought with him and hold on as if his life depended on it.

"I was unsure that you would survive." The alien moved to stand right next to her. "Charlie confessed what he had done after I fired on the station. It was too late to prevent what he had done from coming to pass." Sam could tell that Thor hadn't been pleased. She'd never seen him angry before and wondered if Charlie had. "You dropped the shielding just as the change in timeline reset. I read life signs oscillating before the jumper and both of you disappeared."

Sam nodded. She was sure their life signs had been all over the place. "It was not an experience I'd recommend, but I remember everything from both timelines and Jack does too." Thor nodded. She figured he must have suspected as much when Jack had known and greeted his son.

Jack finally let go of Charlie, but he hadn't allowed the young man to move far from him. She could see his pride as he introduced his son to his friends. Daniel was taking it all in as was Teal'c, but Vala was firing questions off with both barrels. Sam glanced up to see Cam running into the hall, medics in tow. After letting her know that he would stay nearby while he confirmed that his readings were correct and that there was no further damage to the space time continuum, Thor beamed himself back out. He hadn't seemed very comfortable in the crowd in the first place.

The Tokra seemed to be confused as the rest of them, but they patiently stood to the side and watched the Tauri's display. Sam just watched Jack, she felt her heart burst with the relief and love she felt for the man smiling from ear to ear as his son shook hands with his friends. Sam was content to take it all in until Jack turned to her and held out his hand. She was a little taken aback by his comfort at publicly touching her and hesitated. She might have gotten carried away with the kiss, but their usual reserve was starting to feel more comfortable.

Jack raised an eyebrow at her in challenge. Oh yeah, this was going to be different. The brashness and disregard for what others might think that she'd gotten used to in the other timeline, coupled with the confidence of the general she'd fought beside for years was going to make dealing with the man she loved a whole new adventure.

Never one to hide from a challenge, she crossed the small space that separated them without breaking eye contact. Reaching out and taking his hand, she heard Vala urgently whispering to Daniel something about bumps on the head affecting them. She ignored the other woman and concentrated on the man before her. Jack didn't stop at holding her hand, he pulled her against him and kissed her neck. "I told you always Sam. There's no going back now."

"I wouldn't have it any other way O'Neill."

THE END


End file.
